Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Author on John Lewis's legacy and the split within the civil rights movement
WBUR's Darryl C. Murphy sat down with Historian, Author and Newton-native David Greenberg to discuss his latest biography "John Lewis: A Life." The book offers a deep look into the life of the Late John Lewis. The iconic civil rights activist eventually became one of the most revered politicians of his time.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
For the first time, Boston residents get some say in how public money is spent
If you had $2 million to invest in your community, how would you spend it?
If you’re a resident of Boston, you have until Feb. 15 to cast your vote in Boston’s first city-wide participatory budget.
Participatory budgeting is when residents come together to collectively decide how to spend public dollars. Bostonians can vote for up to five projects from a list of 14 ideas proposed by fellow residents.
Kendra Patterson is a steering committee member of the Better Budget Alliance, a local coalit
Things to do in February: celebrate Boston, Black icons and Bugs Bunny
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
REWIND: Ringing in Lunar New Year with Boston's lion dancers
This interview originally aired on The Common in 2024.
Chinatown's streets will come to life on Feb. 9 with thunderous drums and a clang of cymbals as nine lion dance troupes celebrate the Year of the Snake in the Chinese New Year Parade.
WBUR's Cici Yu joined The Common to talk about the vibrant history and tradition of the lion dance in Boston.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
In New England, climate change is moving fast. The fishing industry is not
The seafood industry in New England generates more than $20 billion in sales each year and employs more than a quarter million people. But WBUR’s climate and environment correspondent Barbara Moran found it’s not moving fast enough to meet the challenges of climate change, and a new Trump presidency could make things more complicated.
This story was produced as part of the Pulitzer Center's StoryReach U.S. Fellowship with additional reporting from Columbia University’s Duh Linh Tu.
Greater Bos
Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy in 2025
On January 20th, President Elect Donald Trump will take the reins from outgoing President Joe Biden and make his return to the Oval Office. But this Inauguration Day is a little different than most others, because it also falls on Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
We saw this as an opportunity to step back and look at King's legacy, how he's remembered, and if we'll ever truly see the progress he's envisioned. Joining us on The Common to discuss is Donathan Brown, Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity a
Boston chefs say neurodiversity can be a superpower in the kitchen
Boston Globe's food reporter Kara Baskin spoke to multiple local chefs and restaurateurs who struggled with ADHD and dyslexia in school but thrive in the restaurant industry. They said their differences are their superpower.
Darryl C. Murphy spoke with Baskin and Dan Bazzinotti, head chef at Boston’s Blue Ribbon Restaurants and instructor at Johnson & Wales University, for Radio Boston about why the industry supported him in a way the traditional education system never did.
Greater Boston’s wee
New year, new goals, new can't-miss events
What do a "rage room," a thought-provoking play, and sandwich recipes of yesteryear have in common? They're all recommendations from Candice Springer, assistant director of WBUR CitySpace, for kicking off 2025. Candice joins Darryl to discuss these events and experiences, as well as share personal goals for the new year that just might inspire some of your own.
Out and About in Greater Boston
Letz Rage
Dancing with the Stars Live!
"Ain't No Mo'" from Speakeasy Stage and Front Porch Arts Collecti
New biography on hip-hop legend MF DOOM shines light on Boston influence
MF DOOM was a legendary emcee known for wearing a mask and keeping a distance from fame in a genre where artists usually embrace the spotlight.
DOOM passed away in 2020, but his life is documented in a biography recently released called The Chronicles of DOOM: Unraveling Hip-hop’s Masked Iconoclast. In the book, Writer and journalist S.H. Fernando Jr aka SKIZZ sheds light on DOOM’s story, which includes his time spent right here in Boston.
Today on The Common, Darryl's conversation with SKIZZ
One family's journey from Haiti to Stoughton
Franz and Heroina Edouard and their family are among the thousands of Haitians who left their home country for a better life in the US, and made their way to Massachusetts.
The Edouards shared their decades-long journey with WBUR reporter Simon Rios. Today on The Common, Simon joins us to tell us their story, and about their experience with the Massachusetts' emergency shelter system.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Cozy up with a movie or comic book this December
It's been a minute, but Candice Springer, assistant director for WBUR CitySpace, is back to give you the low down on what's happening in the city this December.
After a quick recap of the biggest musical movie event of the year ("Wicked"), here's what Candice recommends:
Out and About in Boston
Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE)
Now in its 15th year, MICE is New England's longest-running independent comics expo. At this totally free event there is something for everyone: workshops fo
Keeping a native language alive
When Jessie Little Doe Baird was growing up on Cape Cod in the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, she didn’t have a relationship with her native language.
Now, she reteaches her language to her community and family through the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, which she co-founded.
Today on The Common, we hear Darryl C. Murphy's conversation with Baird on Radio Boston from earlier this fall.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A closer look at abortion care
When a 2022 Supreme Court ruling ended nationwide protection for abortion access, Massachusetts abortion rights advocates predicted an influx of people from out of state seeking abortions.
Now, WBUR's Martha Bebinger found the number of people who obtained abortion care from Massachusetts providers was up at least 37% in 2023. The increase was mostly driven by patients from outside the state.
Today on The Common, Martha and Dr. Angel Foster, co-founder of Cambridge Reproductive Health Consulta
How a second Trump presidency could impact Massachusetts
It's been a little over a week since President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in office over Vice President Kamala Harris. Regardless of how you feel about it, another Trump presidency is almost certain to leave a lasting impression on our political reality, including here in deep-blue Massachusetts.
Today on The Common, WBUR Senior Politics Reporter, Anthony Brooks, and WBUR State House Reporter, Walter Wuthmann, join us to discuss reactions since the election, and look ahead to what the
Introducing Boston's Office of Climate Resilience
In August, Mayor Michelle Wu introduced Boston's first Office of Climate Resilience. She appointed Chris Osgood, previously Chief of Staff and Chief of Streets, as the office's director.
Osgood joined us in September to discuss what Bostonians can expect from the Office of Climate Resilience in the coming years.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Don't be spooked by this election's BOO-llot questions
Happy Halloween! We wish you safe and spooky celebrations this week. That said, Tuesday, November 5th is the 2024 general election. And there is nothing scarier than getting to the polls unprepared.
Five statewide ballot questions are before voters this November, and frighteningly, there are quite a few misconceptions about them.
Evan Horowitz, director of The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, joins us in breaking down each question and outlines what is being asked of voter
An up-close look at Mass' first offshore wind project
Offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind are set to be a huge part of our state’s energy future.
But for such a huge infrastructure project, it’s not that easy to get out and see for yourself. For one thing, you need to charter a boat to take you out to look at the Vineyard Wind turbines located miles offshore.
This is exactly what a group of New England reporters did in September – including WBUR’s own senior climate reporter, Miriam Wasser. She joins The Common to tell us about the experie
How Black Out performances promote inclusion in Boston theater
Boston's theater-goers are overwhelmingly white: 89%, according to a report by the nonprofit ArtsBoston. At the same time, more than half of the city's residents are people of color.
Some theater companies are fostering inclusion with Black Out nights. Performances are taken off sale to the general public and made accessible with a code distributed to Black organizations and social media groups.
Maurice Emmanuel Parent is an actor, educator and co-founder and co-producing artistic director of
Meet three artists from this year's "Makers" cohort
Each year, WBUR highlights a group of artists of color in Greater Boston. These "Makers" are spreading joy and building community while practicing their craft. We meet three of the artists from this year's cohort.
Dancer Beth Mochizuki is helping dancers bring more of themselves to the stage with her company, the Asian American Ballet Project. Saxophonist Jonathan Suazo is combining his Puerto Rican identity with his Dominican heritage through jazz. Musician Pranav Swaroop is fusing classical I
Mass. coastal chemical sites lack basic safeguard against hurricanes
Experts say climate change is increasing the risk of a “double disaster” — a large-scale chemical spill caused by extreme weather. Massachusetts is especially vulnerable, as a coastal state with industrial ports.
WBUR's senior investigative reporter Patrick Madden took a closer look at this risk in New Bedford, a city with a high concentration of warehouses that use chemicals for cold storage in the fishing industry.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Stop and Shop wants you to stay and shop
On this episode of The Common, Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli breaks down the evolution of Stop and Shop, and where the grocery store is headed. Then, listen to an excerpt from host Darryl C. Murphy's WBUR CitySpace interview with Chef and TikTok influencer Jon Kung.
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Stop and Shop opened a swanky upgraded location in Allston Yards this summer. A couple of weeks later, the company announced that it would be closing more than 30 of its stores in New England, including 15 in Massachusetts
A vibe check on Boston nightlife
Last spring, the City of Boston welcomed its inaugural Director of Nightlife Economy, Corean Reynolds. You might have heard some people refer to her as the “night czar,” though that’s not her official title. Now that she’s been in her position for a year, we wanted to catch up with her about some of the initiatives her office is working on, as well as challenges to improving nightlife in the city.
You'll also hear producer Frannie Monahan hit the streets to ask Bostonians about their thoughts o
The fight for equal education before busing
On September 12, 1974, Boston Public Schools bused the first students across town as a part of a highly controversial school integration program. The program was a result of Judge W. Arthur Garrity's federal court order that mandated that both black and white students be bused to schools outside of their neighborhoods. What followed was a series of protests and riots that helped cement Boston's reputation as an exceptionally racist city.
While this moment is a major flashpoint in Boston's histo
A president's impact on Mass. climate goals, plus music in September
On this episode of The Common, WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins the show to discuss what impacts the presidential candidates would have on Massachusetts' climate goals if they get elected. Then, we get suggestions for how to spend the month of September in Greater Boston.
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Classes might be back in session now that it's September, but that doesn't mean you can't still get out there and enjoy some culture this month. Here are WBUR CitySpace Assistant Directo
Moving in? Know your rights
On this episode of The Common, tenant association leader and volunteer with City Life/Vida Urbana Selena Eutsay joins the show to discuss renters rights ahead of Boston's unofficial move-in day on the first of September. Then, producer Frannie Monahan hits the streets to talk to Boston residents about their greatest challenges renting in the city.
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Sept. 1 is fast approaching. On that day, about 70% of Boston leases turn over, according to the city of Boston. In preparation for the big mo
A side dish with WBUR's Deborah Becker
On this episode of The Common, Boston Globe Climate Reporter Erin Douglas joins the show to discuss how many Boston neighborhoods are built on artificial land, putting them at risk of flooding due climate change. Then, Team Common takes over the WBUR kitchen with senior correspondent Deborah Becker.
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If you listen to WBUR, you are probably familiar with Deb Becker’s voice. You might have heard any number of her reports as a senior correspondent on issues like mental health, addiction and t
The many sharks of Massachusetts
On this episode of The Common, WBUR associate producer for digital Katie Cole joins the show to discuss Massachusetts' various shark species and the important role they play in our ocean ecosystem. Then, we sit down with author and podcast host Mark Cecil to talk about the value of deep conversations among men and why it is difficult for some men to open up with one another.
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Sharks get a bad rap, especially around these parts where great white sightings are a normal part of Massachusetts'
What Mass. lawmakers got done, and all the things they didn't
On this episode of The Common, WBUR State House reporter Walter Wuthmann joins host Darryl C. Murphy to recap the end of the state's legislative session. He tells us about the few bills that did get passed, and more importantly all the ones that didn't, and why. Then, Team Common hikes the Boston Walking City Trail with with founder, Boston-based journalist and trail builder Miles Howard. Listen to the podcast to hear the full episode.
Looking to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the city? Th
Look, ma! No CharlieCard!
The Common is back. Thank you to the listeners who stuck around while we planned for our new weekly format, and if you're new here, welcome to the party!
Today, WBUR transportation reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins host Darryl C. Murphy to give us the full download on the MBTA's new contactless fare system.
Then, to kick off August, WBUR CitySpace assistant director Candice Springer gives us suggestions for how to spend the final hazy days of summer.
Candice recommends...
The Queen of V
Could ‘Pee-Cycling’ Help Clean Cape Cod’s Water?
Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American.
The past two days we’ve been sharing Barb’s in-depth reporting on Cape Cod’s water, and the pollution that has been increasingly threatening its safety. We also heard about some of the costly solutions the community is considering to hel
Cape Cod Weighs Big-Ticket Pollution Solutions
Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American.
In today's episode, Barb looks at some of the big-ticket solutions that could help solve the Cape’s water problems — for a price.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Cape Cod Has a Big Septic Tank Problem
Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American.
If you’re a regular listener of The Common, you might remember our episode with Barb on something taking place on Cape Cod called pee-cycling. Well, this series is a three-part deeper dive that looks into water pollution on Cape Cod, wha
Rewind: 60 is the new 50, and other thoughts on finding yourself at any age
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Seniors are healthier, better educated and living longer than in generations past. In his series "The Third Act," WBUR Senior Political Reporter Anthony Brooks tells the stories of people who have embraced these years of late and mid-life to improve and re-invented themselves.
Today, Anthony joins The Common with more on these stories, a
Rewind: A piece of home in Dorchester's Little Saigon
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Boston Little Saigon is one of the city’s four official cultural districts as designated by the state. Located in Fields Corner in Dorchester, the district was officially designated in 2021, but to its residents, Little Saigon has been an anchor for Vietnamese culture in the region for decades.
To learn more about the district's food and
Rewind: Boston's untold Black history
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Boston is known for its host of historic landmarks, such as the Boston Tea Party and the USS Constitution, but there are also many historical stories and sites in the city that too often go unheard and unseen. Researcher and educator Joel Mackall seeks to change this through his Hidden History of Black Boston tours — a series of driving
Rewind: That application fee your landlord charged you might be illegal
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Massachusetts is one of only two states where it's illegal for landlords to charge an application fee to perspective renters. Even so, advocates say that these fees are on the rise as rental options in the region remain tight.
WBUR Senior Reporter Simón Rios joins The Common to explain how landlord application fees differ from other lega
Rewind: America's gun industry has roots in Massachusetts
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
America was, and continues to be, forged by the gun industry. The Gun Machine, a new podcast from WBUR and The Trace looks at this intertwined history — from the founding of the nation, to the gun industry's roots here in Massachusetts, to the country's very present gun violence crisis in an eight-part series.
Producer for The Gun Machin
Rewind: The Common's adventure with Jed
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
We're big fans of trains here at The Common. And so is (formerly) Boston-based TikTok creator @jeddeo1, known for his deadpanned MBTA review series Adventures with Jed. In this episode, the team takes a trip down the Green Line E branch for their very own adventure with Jed.
Watch the Jed's adventure to Heath street here.
Greater Bosto
Rewind: A different approach to supporting loved ones with addiction
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Almost one-third of adults in the U.S. say they, or someone in their family, have been addicted to opioids. Often, families have been encouraged to use a "tough love" approach with their loved ones, but a growing number of health care professionals are starting to rethink this. Instead, they want to more intentionally include families an
Rewind: What's up with Mass.'s liquor laws?
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
New Englanders are known for having a buttoned up rule or two, including around alcohol (we're looking at you, happy hour ban). And it's not uncommon to hear some of our region’ s founding colonizers, the Puritans, getting blame for that. But how involved were the Puritans in shaping our current rules around liquor, really?
WBUR reporter
Rewind: Plant care pro tips with Emerald City Plant Shop
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Boston's moving season on the horizon, and settling into a new space isn't always a walk in the park. But one great way to make any house (or apartment, or studio... we know how it is) feel like home, is to add plants.
Today on The Common, we visit Emerald City Plant Shop, New England's first Black-owned specialty plant store, to learn h
Rewind: Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter on growing up Springfield
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Ruth E. Carter is a two-time Oscar-winning costume designer who has dressed characters in hit movies and TV series for more than three decades. Her designs can be seen in works such as Do The Right Thing, The Five Heartbeats, both Marvel Black Panther movies, Yellowstone and Seinfeld. She's also a native of Springfield, Mass. In 2023, sh
Rewind: It's hard out here for a beech
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Beech trees are native to the Northeast and make up about 10% of forests in Massachusetts.
The tree, which is identifiable by its smooth trunk and wide canopy, is a crucial habitat and food source for many animal species in the region. But in recent years, a microscopic worm-caused disease has been targeting beech leaves, causing many tr
Rewind: A taste of Mattapan
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Today, we're heading to Mattapan, looking for food. This culinary quest is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston — a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities.
WBUR arts reporter and Mattapan native Arielle Gray joins us as a local guide on this episode of The Common, and takes us to three of her can't-miss spots
Rewind: Boston's expensive, and Gen Z is feeling the heat
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
People in their twenties make up one-fifth of Boston's population, but some of these young people are struggling to make it in the city as the cost of living soars.
Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli talked to more than two dozen Gen Z residents living in Boston to learn what financial concerns are making them question their future in the
Rewind: Running while Black in Boston
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Black Men Run Boston is the local chapter of the national Black Men Run organization, which aims to create a safe and health-centered space for Black men to run and walk in community. Today, founder Jeff Davis shares his experience running while Black in Boston, and discusses what he believes can be done to make running more inclusive in
Rewind: Boston emcee Edo.G on 50 years of hip-hop
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
August 11, 2023 marked 50 years of hip-hop, one of the most impactful cultural contributions of the last century. And while hip-hop was born in New York City, Boston's scene has been around since the early days, and continues strong today.
Edo.G has been part of the Boston hip-hop scene since the '80s, when he came on first as a dancer
Rewind: Rethinking home ownership in Chinatown
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Housing prices in Boston's Chinatown have been surging for decades, resulting in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the city. That's why housing advocates with the Chinatown Community Land Trust have turned to an alternative model for home ownership that helps working-class and immigrant residents stay in the neighborhoo
Rewind: Bigger, faster, more toxic — Poison ivy is thriving
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Poison ivy seems to be booming, and researchers think climate change could be to blame. As carbon dioxide levels increase and temperatures warm, this toxic vine is not only getting bigger and growing faster, but the plant's oil, which causes allergic reactions in about 80% of the population, is becoming more plentiful and increasingly p
Rewind: Elizabeth Amador decodes government bureaucracy, one post at a time
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
This is a story about how social media can be used for good.
Elizabeth Amador is an activist and community leader who uses Instagram to help Spanish-speaking residents navigate local government bureaucracy to get the help they need.
In her posts and live streams, she answers questions about everything from obtaining rental and food as
Rewind: Fighting a loneliness epidemic, one connection at a time
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory sounding the alarm on what he calls the “devastating impact of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States.”
A growing body of research ties loneliness to an increased risk of health conditions including heart disease, stroke, dementia and even pr
Rewind: The TikTok creator searching for Boston's best take-away
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Boston-based content creator Keonte Henson, also known as @atstayathomedad, has built a following on TikTok and Instagram with his humorous, real-talk approach to local restaurant reviews. Often recording from the driver's seat of his parked car, Henson reviews Greater Boston food options with a focus on casual eateries, take-away spots
Rewind: MassDOT's new voice for accessibility
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Earlier this month Governor Maura Healey appointed four new members to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors. One appointee is researcher, writer and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, who will represent the "consumer voice" for MassDOT.
Dr. Iezzoni is the first member of the d
Rewind: Venezuelan migrants find home again in Massachusetts
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Over the summer, 50 Venezuelan migrants were dropped off on Martha's Vineyard in a political stunt made by Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. The new arrivals were met with national media attention, and an outpouring of aid. However, as WBUR's Cristela Guerra reports, migrants from Venezuela have been finding their way to Massachusetts for
Rewind: Sorry, your gas stove really is bad for you
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
No, the government is not coming for your gas stove. At least not this second. But your stove could have implications for the health of your household (gas stoves are the top trigger for pediatric asthma in the state, for example), as well as our environment. WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to d
Rewind: Reducing poverty without displacement in Upham's Corner
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
A study from Common Good Labs, a data science firm based out of Pittsburg, and the Brookings Institution has identified nearly 200 neighborhoods across the country that have done the seemingly impossible: Increase neighborhood wealth, without pushing out the original residents. One of those neighborhoods is Boston's very own Upham's Corn
Rewind: A poet and a saxophonist walk into a lounge
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Tucked underneath the bustling Cambridge Common restaurant near Porter Square is the Lizard Lounge, a longtime gathering place for Greater Boston's poetry scene. Since 1998, the venue has hosted a weekly event that combines curated poetry performance with live, improvisational jazz. The venue celebrated its 25th anniversary last year,
Rewind: The bees and butterflies need our help
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Insects are disappearing at a concerning rate — from 1% to 2% in many places, and up to 10% in others. Some of those insects are pollinators, which are key players in supporting 35% of our food supply. Today, those pollinators, like bees and butterflies, need our help.
WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran join
Rewind: Boston Public Library branches help you check out more than books. Here's a breakdown of services
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
Public libraries have evolved over the decades to connect people with far more than books on shelves. Many libraries, including those within the Boston Public Library system, often fill gaps in social services.
Boston Public Libraries' Michael Colford, director of library services, joined The Common to discuss how the robust resources o
Rewind: Here's what a growing Black population looks like
Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives.
The Black population in Greater Boston continues to grow, especially in communities outside of the city, and it's becoming one of the most diverse Black populations of any metro area in the nation. This is according to a new report from Boston Indicators and Embrace Boston titled, Great Migration to Global Immigration: A Profile of Blac
Rewind: José Massó on 48 years of “¡Con Salsa!”
Today’s episode is another from the vault. It’s our conversation with WBUR’s José Massó, host of ¡Con Salsa!, which has been on the air for nearly 50 years.
Jose stopped by the studio last year after he made Amplify Latinx’s inaugural ALX100 list, which recognizes leaders from the Massachusetts Latinx community. We discussed the ALX100 honor and ¡Con Salsa's! impact on Greater Boston over the decades.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Rewind: The Common's official theme music
Team Common is hard at work preparing for our new weekly schedule starting soon. But in the meantime, we’re bringing you some episodes from our archives to help you get your local news fix.
In this episode, first published about a year ago, we talk to HEESU, the singer-songwriter behind our theme song, ME. HEESU, who originally hails from Seoul, was WBUR’s 2021 Tiny Desk Contest favorite and is a Berklee College of Music alum.
HEESU joined us to talk about her music, her influences and her exp
Rewind: A cafe for broken belongings
It's another show from our archives, today with WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger.
You know that broken thing you have sitting in your closet that you just don't have the heart to throw away? It could be a broken lamp, a dead watch or a pair of scissors that's a little dull. Well, chances are there's a helpful neighbor nearby who would love to fix it up for you at one of the region's Repair Cafes. Martha joins The Common with more on the Repair Cafe movement and the folks behind it.
Greater Boston
Rewind: How the dumpling is Mei Mei-d
Today’s episode is another from our archives. Last year, we took a trip to Mei Mei Dumpling Factory and Cafe following the grand re-opening of its first brick-and-mortar location since the pandemic. We met up with Mei Mei co-founder and James Beard Leadership Award-winning chef Irene Li for a tour of the facility, a discussion on the changing restaurant landscape of Boston and of course, some delicious dumplings.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: Huntington’s 'Toni Stone' brings a trailblazing female baseball player to life
The Common team is taking a beat to rest and recharge this Memorial Day weekend. But to keep your podcast feeds fresh, we’re getting a little help from our friends in the WBUR newsroom with a feature.
It’s by WBUR Arts and Culture correspondent Andrea Shea. Andrea recently visited the Huntington Theatre for a sneak peek at its newest production ‘Toni Stone,’ which tells the true story of the first female baseball player to ever join a professional men’s baseball team in the 1950s.
Greater Bost
Rewind: Allergy season sucks, and climate change is making it worse
Team Common announced a few weeks back that the show will transition to a once-a-week podcast this summer as part of some larger changes happening at WBUR. We are hard at work on this transition now. So, for the next few weeks we will be featuring some episodes from The Common's archive, while we focus on bringing the newest iteration of the show into the world and your podcast feeds very soon.
With allergy season's vengful return, we take a look back at our discussion with Dr. Gaurab Basu, a p
A people's history through Boston Urban Archive
The Instagram account Boston Urban Archive offers a look at the history of the city's communities of color. Ebony Gill created the page in December of 2023, while she was a student at University of Massachusetts Boston. Since then, the account has garnered more than 30,000 followers with images that take viewers down Boston's memory lane.
WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray visited UMass Boston's Healey Library to document Ebony at work for our Field Guide to Boston. She joins The Common to talk to us a
To Rome and back: Mayor Wu and Gov. Healey tout climate policies at the Vatican
Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu traveled to Rome last week to present their plans for de-carbonization and climate resiliency at a multi-day summit hosted by the Vatican and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
The Wu administration aims to reduce the city’s carbon footprint via a suite of initiatives, including new rules on Boston buildings, which are responsible for over 70% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Wu's goal is for city buildings, old and new, to be carbon-neutra
Unpacking the official response to the pro-Gaza student movement
As school years wind down at colleges and universities around the state, the last student encampments protesting the war in Gaza have been dismantled.
At some schools, student protestors packed up the tents of their own free will. At others -- including Emerson, Northeastern and MIT -- they were forcibly disbanded by police.
With summer fast approaching, questions remain about the tactics employed by universities to disperse student protesters. The Common's Darryl C. Murphy speaks with WBUR se
The pilot program bringing English classes to emergency shelters
The state is hoping a new pilot program providing ESL classes to newly arrived immigrants staying in Massachusetts emergency shelters will help them achieve self sufficiency faster. The pilot is lead by the nonprofit English for New Bostonians, which has been teaching occupationally-focused language classes with the goal of providing students the skills and confidence to find employment, and continue improving their English in other settings.
Claudia Green, English for New Bostonians executive
Looking back on 20 years of marriage equality in Mass
Today is the 20th anniversary of gay marriage becoming legal in Massachusetts. The right for same sex couples to marry was brought about by the Goodridge Decision, which made Massachusetts the first state in the country to secure marriage equality. Back in 2004, Arline Isaacson, Co-Chair of the Massachusetts GLBTQ Political Caucus (formerly known as the Mass Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus), was one of the advocates who worked to secure marriage equality in the Commonwealth.
Arline joins The Co
A cannabis 'pipe dream'
When the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission launched its Social Equity Program, it promised a pathway for groups disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs into the newly legalized cannabis market. But today, social equity operators are finding that getting into the cannabis business is a far cry from the lucrative opportunity it once was, sometimes leaving them worse off than when they started the process.
"CommonWealth Beacon" reporter Bhaamati Borkhetaria spoke with cannabis ope
As encampments are dismantled, campuses prepare for graduation
Colleges and universities across the country are gearing up for graduation, including here in Boston. Commencement comes at a very tense time on many campuses though, as student protest encampments in support of Palestinian people and school divestment from Israel have been dismantled by police at numerous schools, notably MIT and Emerson College. Tufts and Harvard Universities also had encampments that were recently disbanded by student protestors themselves.
WBUR Senior Education Reporter Car
Last Seen's 'Postmortem' podcast asks: How should we treat the dead?
Death of a loved one can bring with it a deep sense of loss. We miss that person's personality, their energy, and we honor that with our grief. But how do we as a society, respect their remains, the bodies they leave behind?
That question is at the center of the latest season of WBUR’s podcast Last Seen - which came out this month: “Postmortem: The Stolen Bodies of Harvard.”
The podcast follows a scandal at Harvard Medical School that made headlines last year, when a manager at the medical s
Lawmakers react to WBUR investigation into police handling of rape cases
Several weeks ago, WBUR published an investigation examining how police in Massachusetts handle reports of sexual assault and rape. The piece, which focused on alleged serial rapist Alvin Campbell (brother of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell), has garnered the attention of state lawmakers who wish to make changes to the Commonwealth's systems and protocols around such cases.
WBUR Statehouse Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common once more to discuss reactions to the piece, and
Psychedelics in Massachusetts: The future of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, which could become the first psychedelic-assisted therapy as early as August.
Today, The Common presents the final episode of our three-part series looking at the past, present and future of psychedelics in Massachusetts as a potential ballot question that could lead to the decriminalization of natural psychedelic substances in Massachusetts.
Rick Doblin, founder and president of the Mu
Psychedelics in Massachusetts: The ballot question on decriminalization
A proposed ballot measure to decriminalize certain plant-based psychedelics in Massachusetts is now in progress, with activists gathering another 12,429 signatures by July 3 to secure ballot placement in the November election.
Today, The Common is continuing our three-part series looking at the past, present and future of psychedelics in Massachusetts and what decriminalization could mean for the state.
In this episode, we’ll examine the current status with Sam Drysdale, a Statehouse News Serv
Psychedelics in Massachusetts: The legacy of Timothy Leary
Advocates behind a proposed ballot question that could potentially decriminalize certain plant-based hallucinogens, a.k.a. psychedelics, are gathering signatures to put the question in front of voters on election day in November. If successful, people over 21 can use a limited amount of substances like magic mushrooms without worry of criminal penalties from the state.
This week, The Common will present a three-part series that explores the past, present and future of psychedelics and what thei
Massachusetts considers 'Ebony Alert' to help find missing Black women and girls
Black women and girls make up a disproportionate number of the nation’s missing people, almost one in five. Here in Massachusetts, there are few protocols on tracking these cases, and that number is harder to determine. Now, a new bill on Beacon Hill seeks to shine a light on how missing persons cases involving Black women and girls are handled, including instituting an "Ebony Alert" system, which would provide public alerts when Black women or girls are reported missing under suspicious circums
What humanitarian parole means for Boston's Haitian community
Early last year, the Biden administration issued a policy to allow temporary entry for up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — countries facing extreme unrest and violence. People in the program, called humanitarian parole, are allowed to live and work in the United States for two years.
The Common speaks with WBUR reporter Simón Rios about what humanitarian parole has meant for Boston's Haitian community.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture m
What to do this month: A night at the theater
It's a great time to hit the theater. Today on The Common, Assistant Director of WBUR CitySpace Candice Springer is back with some top musical happenings to get you out and about this month.
Candice recommends...
The Drowsy Chaperone: Now - May 12, Lyric Stage Company, Boston
A Strange Loop: Now - May 25, Speakeasy Stage at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, Boston
“Song Exploder” Live featuring Fenne Lily: May 20, WBUR CitySpace
Field Trip: Plant Night with Emerald City Plant Shop: M
Funding runs out for state programs housing former Mass. and Cass inhabitants
When the city removed a tent encampment in the area known as Mass. and Cass back in November, officials offered to help people find housing as part of a plan to help keep them off the streets. Now, two state run housing programs that were part of the effort are slated to close.
WBUR reporter Deborah Becker joins The Common to talk about why these programs are closing, and how the closures will affect the people they serve.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Caribbean coalition launches to unite communities
Boston is a cultural hub for Caribbean communities, with people originally from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad, and other Caribbean countries, comprising nearly 9% of the city's population. The new Boston Caribbean American Association in Dorchester aims to unite these communities and promote year-round political and civic engagement.
Kwame Elias of the Boston Caribbean American Association joins The Common to discuss the coalition's goals and mission, and their strategies for
State legislature imposes a nine-month shelter stay limit
Last Thursday, the Massachusetts House and Senate voted to pass a supplementary budget that will provide an additional $251 million to the family shelter system. It also imposed a maximum of nine months stay limit for current families living in the state's emergency shelters, with certain people eligible for an extension waiver. Now, the bill awaits Governor Maura Healey’s signature.
Today, The Boston Globe's political reporter Samantha J. Gross joins The Common to discuss the reasons behind th
WBUR will cut up to 14% of staff with buyouts and layoffs
We're going to be upfront with you.
Last week was a hard one at WBUR.
On Wednesday it was announced that the station would be cutting up to 14% of its staff through buyouts and layoffs in an attempt to reduce the station’s expenses by $4 million. This comes after a significant drop in underwriting revenue in recent years, adding to the trend of personnel cuts at public radio stations across the country in recent months.
WBUR Investigative Correspondent Todd Wallack has been covering WBUR's fi
What's going on with the student protest encampments
Late Wednesday night, a protest encampment created by students at Emerson College was forcibly removed by police. Over 100 protesters were arrested in the clearing, and multiple injuries have been reported. Meanwhile, other encampments have been erected on campuses across the city as students call for, among other things, a ceasefire in Gaza, that schools cut ties with Israeli funding and support of pro-Palestinian student groups that have been suspended from campuses like Harvard.
WBUR Senior
A conversation with Leslie Jonas, Indigenous land and water conservationist
April is Earth Month, which is a time to reflect on the one planet we have and for a lot of us that’s an opportunity to discuss climate change, and how it’s affecting our communities.
Throughout the month we featured weekly conversations with some of the people in Greater Boston working to build our region’s resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Our final guest for these Earth Month discussions is Leslie Jonas, an Indigenous land and water conservationist and an elder eel clan member o
More EVs are hitting our streets, but not fast enough
More electric vehicles are hitting the streets in Boston, making it one of the biggest EV markets in the country. However, adoption still lags behind similar metro areas across the country and experts worry that the growing number of EVs is still not enough to help the state reach its emission goals.
WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to explain the barriers to more EV ownership in Massachusetts, and what the state is doing about it.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast
A tale of two transit agencies
In late March, the MBTA announced it would be paying an additional $148 million to the Chinese locomotive manufacturer CRRC, in hopes of pushing the company to complete its order for desperately needed T cars by 2027. The order, which was made in 2014, was for 404 new T cars to be delivered by September 2023. To date, the MBTA has only received around 130 of those cars and with this latest payout, the total deal between the agency and CRRC is now valued at over $1 billion.
Just last week, the S
The case against alleged 'serial rapist' Alvin Campbell
Alvin Campbell, an alleged serial rapist, was arrested in 2020 on sexual assault charges. A new investigation by WBUR finds that at the time of his arrest, Campbell had already been reported for multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault dating back to 2016.
He is the brother of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Her office said the attorney general recused herself from any involvement in the case. In a statement, Andrea Campbell said the prosecution has her “unreserved suppor
Buying weed at Boston's first Black woman-owned dispensary
Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis in 2016. According to the state, the industry here has grossed nearly $6 billion from hundreds of dispensaries across the state.
As part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston, a series aimed at helping folks better connect with the region, and in honor of the unofficial cannabis holiday on 4/20, we want to offer a quick guide for those who are curious about cannabis in Massachusetts.
So The Common team took a trip to Heritage Club in Charlestown, Boston'
This Chelsea teen is organizing her peers for a greener future
April is Earth Month, so all month long we are featuring weekly conversations with people in Greater Boston working to build our region’s resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Arianna Perdomo is a 17-year-old high school senior living in Chelsea. She's a member of Gov. Maura Healey and Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer's Youth Climate Council and part of the Environmental Chelsea Organizers youth crew through GreenRoots. Today, Arianna joins The Common to discuss her work organ
Boston City Council weighs potential for a rat-focused city department
Last week, the Boston City Council met to discuss one of the top, pressing issues facing our city: The rat population causing a nuisance to residents citywide.
For the second year in a row, Councilor Ed Flynn has proposed a measure to create a city department solely devoted to pest-related concerns, arguing that a specialized department would streamline efforts to tackle rat issues and allow for more coordinated innovation.
Today, Boston Globe City Hall Reporter Niki Griswold joins The Common
Slow runner? Join the club!
With the 2024 Boston Marathon now in the rearview, you may be feeling inspired to hit the road after seeing thousands of athletes crushing 26.2 miles. Or perhaps you’re at the very beginning of your running journey and you’re still trying to find where you fit in the sport. That’s why we bring you this conversation taped at WBUR’s CitySpace featuring Martinus Evans, a runner and founder of the Slow AF Run Club, a community for slow runners and walkers.
Host Darryl C. Murphy talked to Evans ab
From the newsroom: The Boston Marathon is every runner's dream, including mine
Today, more than 30,000 runners will participate in the 128th Boston Marathon. Among those running are no less than five members of the WBUR staff, including Climate and Environment Correspondent, Barbara Moran.
Being the reporter she is, Barb documented the ups and downs of her training journey as part of an essay for WBUR’s Cognesanti. Today, in honor of the marathon and all who run it, we bring you Barb's story.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
EPA sets new nationwide restrictions on PFAS levels in drinking water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced a new drinking water standard to reduce exposure to PFAS, chemicals linked to health risks like cancer. Massachusetts is one of 11 states with existing PFAS limits, which are different from the new federal guideline. As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection estimated that 95 water systems across the state will need to upgrade their water system to address PFAS for the first time under the new federal rules.
Climate
How climate change and LGBTQ rights intersect
April is Earth Month, which is a time to reflect on the one planet we have and for a lot of us that brings up climate change, and how it’s affecting our communities.
James Comiskey is an activist with Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental movement that aims to use nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on climate change. He’s also a co-leader of Boston’s Rainbow Rebellion, which is an offshoot of the group focused on the intersection of climate and LGBTQ issues. Co
Kids on Spectacle Island grade their first eclipse
On Monday, almost 300 people, many of whom were families with kids, boarded a ferry and headed out to Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor to take in the solar eclipse over the Boston skyline. The event, "[Not Quite] Total Eclipse of the Park" was hosted by Boston Harbor Now, a non-profit that works to make the Boston Harbor and Islands more accessible and climate resilient, in partnership with Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.
Common Producer Katelyn Harrop joined the crowd headi
A gunshot detection system in Somerville
Somerville is re-evaluating the use of ShotSpotter, a surveillance system that detects sounds indicative of gunfire. The devices have drawn scrutiny locally after leaked internal data revealed disproportionately high use in minority communities.
Proponents of the technology say it saves lives and helps police catch criminals. Critics, including civil liberties advocates, raise concerns about the technology's accuracy and the risk of over-policing low-income or communities of color.
Boston Glob
Lawmakers look closely at Steward and private equity in healthcare
Earlier this year, we learned that financial challenges at Steward Healthcare System, a for-profit company, were jeopardizing the company's ability to run its eight current Massachusetts hospitals.
This drew scrutiny from state and federal officials, and raised concerns about the role of private equity in the healthcare industry. Over the last couple of weeks, lawmakers, including U.S. Senators for Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, held hearings on Beacon Hill looking into private e
What to do this month: Picnics, crafted beer and a racing adventure
It may be gray outside, but never fear -- WBUR Assistant Director of CitySpace Candice Springer is back on The Common with a list of fun-filled happenings to get you out of your house and on the town this April.
Candice recommends...
Mystery Picnics – Anytime
The Massachusetts Craft Brewers Festival – April 20, Boston Center for the Arts' Cyclorama
F1 Arcade Boston – April 22, Seaport in Boston
Slow AF Run Club: Martinus Evans on empowering anyone who wants to run – April 11, WBUR Cit
Community as a tool for climate resilience
April is Earth Month, so all month long we are featuring weekly conversations with people in Greater Boston working to build our region’s resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Kannan Thiruvengadam is the Executive Director of Eastie Farm — a community-based non-profit in East Boston, which focuses on food insecurity and climate justice through urban agriculture and education. Today, Kannan joins The Common to discuss how urban agriculture can be used as a tool for climate resiliency and
Your competitive electric supplier could be costing you
Have you ever answered a knock on your door to find someone asking to see your electric bill? Perhaps with the promise of getting you a better deal? If so, you might've come face-to-face with a representative from a competitive electric supplier -- an industry that has been tied to high rates, and at times, illegal activity, targeting some of the states' most vulnerable residents.
While some savvy individuals are able to use these suppliers to get a better, or greener deal, State data show that
Another step toward reduced-fare for low-income T riders
Last week, the MBTA board of directors voted in favor of offering a reduced-fare program for low-income adults across the transit system, including for The Ride -- the MBTA's paratransit service. It's a huge victory for advocates who have been pushing for such a program for more than a decade.
Today, Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven joins The Common for a transit news round-up. First, a look at what it will take to make a low-income fare program a reality. Then, Taylor tells u
Rats are turning Boston cars into buffets
Chewed automobile wires? Gnawed car cables? That's what a Boston rat calls lunch!
Drawn in by the promise of a warm and cozy place to hang, rats are hoping out of dumpsters and taking up residence under the hoods of cars, bringing their trash and snacks with them, and causing damage to vehicles while they're at it.
Today, WBUR Investigative Reporter Willoughby Mariano joins The Common for a look at why Boston's rat problem is so significant, and what this could mean for the wellbeing of your r
Berklee and Harvard (Taylor's Version)
This semester, both Berklee College of Music and Harvard University are offering classes themed around one of pop music's biggest names: Taylor Swift. The class at Berklee uses Swift's music to instruct students on songwriting, while the Swift-themed class at Harvard sits in the university's English department and looks at her music through a literary lens.
Today on The Common, WBUR Senior Arts and Culture Reporter Amelia Mason takes us into the classroom for a lesson on what students (and the
Boston's free lead pipes replacement program goes underused
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission launched a free program to replace lead pipes on privately owned property early last year, but few property owners have taken advantage of it. A recent Boston Globe investigation found that a water line that services one Boston College dormitory is among thousands of lead pipes that deliver water to city residents. Lead can contaminate drinking water and ingesting lead poses some serious health risks.
Today, Boston Globe contributing reporter and Boston Uni
Gov. Healey announces 30-day limit for families in overflow shelters
On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced a 30-day limit on the length of time families can stay in certain overflow shelters while waiting to enter the state's emergency shelter system. Families must re-apply every 30 days proving they meet certain requirements to remain in overflow shelters and on the waitlist.
Meanwhile, state legislators have also been working on plans to limit the amount of time families can stay in the state's emergency shelter system, but have yet to agree
Meet the Boston Public Library's first chef-in-residence
The Boston Public Library's chef-in-residence program is a three year project aimed at helping community members get the most out of their food. The program provides instruction on basic cooking techniques and nutritious, and helps members of the community prepare culturally appropriate meals with everyday ingredients.
Glorya Fernandez is the library's inaugural chef-in-residence. Over the period of one year she will work with the community to create a culinary curriculum that can be used throu
A place for grief and community for students observing Ramadan
Muslim students at MIT are holding nightly Iftar dinners on campus in observance of the holy month of Ramadan, which is celebrated by Muslim communities across the globe. The holiday is typically marked with fasting, prayer and community. It’s the first Ramadan since the war in Gaza broke out in October, so this month holds particular weight for those observing.
WBUR Morning Edition Field Producer Laney Ruckstuhl attended one of the MIT Iftar dinners. She joins The Common to tell us about how t
Five music residencies to check out in Greater Boston
Music residencies - regularly scheduled performances from the same band or artist at a set venue - are a key part of a thriving local music scene. Today on The Common, WBUR Arts Contributor Noah Schaffer has recommendations for five can't-miss residencies you can check out in Boston, Somerville and Cambridge all year long.
Noah recommends...
The Fringe - Mondays at The Lilly Pad in Cambridge (featured song: "I Loved You Yesterday")
The Conscious Band - Sundays at West End Johnnies in Bo
Massachusetts patients are struggling to access primary care
If you're having trouble getting in to see your doctor, you're not alone. Access to primary care providers in Massachusetts has been declining for three straight years, according to a recent survey from Massachusetts Health Quality Partners. This comes as factors including industry staffing challenges, salary discrepancies, and burnout, contribute to a shortage of PCPs nationwide.
Today, WBUR Senior Health Reporter Priyanka Dayal McClusky joins The Common with more on what's behind this concern
Mass. exodus: Why so many young people say they plan to leave Greater Boston
A recent survey commissioned by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce finds that, while almost 90% of surveyed residents between the ages of 20 and 30 in Greater Boston say they're satisfied with their daily lives, one in four plan to leave the region in the next five years. Those surveyed cited the high cost of housing, concerns with public transportation and the availability of quality jobs among the reasons contributing to their possible exodus.
In today's episode, CEO and President of the
For many childcare providers, less state funding this spring
More than half of the over 8,000 childcare providers in the state will see significant cuts to monthly grant payments they receive from the state for the months of May and June. These funds are part of the Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program, which is experience a budget shortfall as the 2024 fiscal year comes to a close.
Today WBUR Senior Education Reporter Carrie Jung joins The Common with more on how these cuts to the C3 grant program will impact childcare providers, many of whom a
Field Guide: A band, a bakery and creating community in Quincy, Mass.
Today, we're taking you to Quincy, Massachusetts.
In the last several decades, the number of people in Quincy who identify as Asian has grown considerably. The latest census shows nearly 30% of the city's residents identify as Asian.
Part of this growth can be attributed to the city remaining an affordable, but accessible, alternative to Boston.
Meanwhile, Boston's Chinatown has seen a decrease in its Asian population, as housing prices have increased significantly in the neighborhood.
To il
Gov. Maura Healey pardons all simple cannabis possession convictions
This week Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey made headlines when she announced that she would be pardoning all minor cannabis possession offenses in Massachusetts. The pardons apply to all convictions before March 13, 2024, and are thought to apply to hundreds of thousands of people. It’s a precedent-setting move as no other Governor has issued such a sweeping pardon on this issue to date.
WBUR State House Reporter Walter Wuthmann was on the story this week. He joins The Common to walk us thro
The Blue Hill Avenue blues
The city has long been working towards a revamp of Blue Hill Avenue, a major corridor in Dorchester and Mattapan. But due to a history of underinvestment and concerns about gentrification, many residents there are skeptical about the city's plan. Despite this, the city has decided to move ahead on certain parts of the plan anyway, including a center lane bus that will operate between Grove Hall and Mattapan Square.
Dorchester Reporter News Editor Seth Daniel has been following the story. He joi
Your guide to the freshest art around Boston this spring
Spring is upon us, and with it comes a whole new slate of recommendations from WBUR's Arts and Culture team as a part of their seasonal arts guides. From new albums, to visual arts, to movies, there's something for everyone in Boston's art scene this spring.
WBUR Senior Arts and Culture Editor Dianna Bell joins The Common with some of her favorite recommendations from this season's guides.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Massachusetts still can't fill its public housing units
Last fall WBUR Investigations Correspondent Todd Wallack joined The Common after he published an investigation into Massachusetts’ public housing waitlist system. In the investigation, he found that despite the state being in a record housing shortage, almost 2,300 state-funded units were sitting vacant across the Commonwealth, sometimes for years. In the aftermath of the investigation, the state announced it would make a 90-day push to significantly reduce the number of empty units.
Six months
A bill to ban legacy admissions in Mass.
Almost a year after affirmative action was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, Massachusetts lawmakers are working to institute a ban on legacy preferences at colleges in the state. Legacy preference, or legacy admissions, is the practice of favoring college applicants who have familial connections to the school, and it often disproportionately benefits white and wealthier students.
Today on The Common WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin discusses the bill's background and how it's being rece
The Common presents: "Beyond All Repair," a new WBUR podcast
Introducing the trailer for ‘Beyond All Repair,’ a brand new WBUR podcast about an unsolved murder and a woman who wasn’t believed.
Note: This is the trailer for Beyond All Repair from WBUR and ZSP Media. Episodes 1 & 2 are already waiting for you: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Sound On: Western Mass. band Cloudbelly brings a new sound
We're back with our second installment of Sound On: The series where WBUR Senior Arts and Culture Reporter and Critic Amelia Mason joins The Common to share a new album from a rising artist or band in Massachusetts.
Today, we're discussing "i know i know i know," an expansive new album from Western Massachusetts-based band, Cloudbelly.
Check out Amelia's full write-up on Cloudbelly here.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
As migrant families wait for shelter, a day service center steps in
Last year, Governor Maura Healey set a cap on the number of families served by the state family shelter system at 7500. Families beyond that number are put on a waitlist. Some have found temporary shelter in overflow sites set up by the state. The thing is, those shelters are not all open during the day, leaving day-side support options limited.
Enter La Colaborativa, a Chelsea-based immigrant services non-profit, which opened a day service center late last month. Today, La Colaborativa preside
For some voters, a not-so-Super Tuesday
Yesterday was Super Tuesday - the day voters in Massachusetts and 14 other states, plus one territory, cast their votes for the candidates they’d like to see face off in the general presidential election in November.
By the time you hear this episode, some results from Super Tuesday may already be known, but what we want to focus on in this episode is not who got the most votes, but how voters are thinking about the election cycle more broadly, and what that means for the future of our country.
El Niño and the New England winter
Our region is experiencing its first El Niño in five years, and, bolstered by climate change, we have an unusually warm winter to prove it.
Today, Tom Di Liberto, climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, joins The Common to discuss how El Niño impacts weather patterns in the region, and what other factors are contributing to our unseasonably warm winter.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The case for memorializing trailblazing figure, Maria W. Stewart
The Massachusetts State Senate recently unveiled a new bust in their renovated chambers in the statehouse. It honors Frederick Douglass – a Black civil rights leader who worked to abolish slavery in the United States. The sculpture puts Douglass in the company of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Ben Franklin, and other historical figures. It's the first permanent bust added to the chamber in over 125 years, and it occupies one of two new spots. State Senate President Karen Spilka says the
What to do this month: Craft your way into spring
March is the month that brings us spring, at last! But it's also a long month, with no observed holidays to give us a break. To help motivate us all to get out and explore this March, WBUR Assistant Director of CitySpace Candice Springer joins The Common with three DIY craft classes that offer an opportunity to learn a new creative skill.
Candice recommends...
Bonsai Bar – multiple dates and locations
Tutu Land Boston – Open daily in Allston, reservations recommended
In House Baking Scho
Conservancy group and residents filed suit to halt White Stadium plan
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and 16 area residents recently filed a lawsuit to stop a proposal to renovate White Stadium in Franklin Park. They say the plan is “unconstitutional,” fearing that this public facility will be privatized and made inaccessible to the public. The city said the claims are without merit and the renovation will expand the number of usable hours for student-athletes and the community.
Seth Daniel, news editor for the Dorchester Reporter, joins The Common to break down
Brockton High School and the National Guard
Earlier this month, four members of the Brockton School Committee called on Governor Healey to bring in the National Guard to calm campus violence amid understaffing at Brockton High School. The idea has split the school community, with many expressing the desire to not militarize the school, while others say the response is appropriate to help manage a situation, which includes fighting and open drug use among students, that has spiraled out of control.
Boston Globe Great Divide reporter Chris
Massachusetts' child welfare system is getting a change in leadership
The Massachusetts child welfare system is looking at a huge leadership change across its ranks with several key leaders stepping down this year. Advocates and former foster kids in the state see it as an opportunity to overhaul the overburdened system that impacts the lives of more than 86,000 children and adults across the state.
Boston Globe Reporter Jason Laughlin joins The Common to break down the calls for change and what’s behind them.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and cultur
Gov. Healey and her pick for the Supreme Judicial Court
Governor Maura Healey’s pick to fill the vacant seat on the state's Supreme Judicial Court could be confirmed as soon as Wednesday. Judge Gabrielle Wolohojian has an impressive judicial record, having served as an appeals court justice for 16 years. However, one piece of her background has been a sticking point through the confirmation process – the fact that she was at one point a long-term romantic partner of Gov. Healey.
WBUR State House Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to discuss J
Pediatricians and the fight to prevent teen overdose deaths
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends offering buprenorphine, a medication that can help curb opioid cravings, to teens addicted to opioids. However, only 6% of pediatricians currently offer the drug, in part because some believe that they do not have the right training or staffing to provide this care.
Today, WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger brings The Common to a pediatrician's office in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, and discusses the role pediatricians can play in preventing drug overdose de
New England's stone wall obsession
There are the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Celtics... and the stone walls. That's right. Many New Englanders are absolutely enamored by the approximately 100,000 miles of stone walls, relics of early settlement, that dot the woods and roadsides of our region.
Today, Hanna Ali, WBUR associate producer for newsletters, joins The Common to tell us more about how these historic stone walls came to be, and why they've captured the hearts of so many in Massachusetts and beyond.
Greater Boston’s daily
Milton votes "no" on multifamily rezoning plan
Update: Ed Augustus, the state's housing secretary, sent a letter to Milton town officials Wednesday morning saying the town failed to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, and as a result, the Healey administration will immediately stop sending "significant grant funding" to the town. Read the full letter here.
Last week, residents of Milton voted down a plan that would have allowed for the development of more multifamily housing. The vote puts Milton at odds with the MBTA Communities Act -- a
Immigration debate intensifies in Mass. politics
Immigration and border security have long been hot-button issues in national politics. Now, with concerns mounting over the state's overstretched family shelter system, where nearly half of the people housed are migrants, asylum-seekers or refugees, immigration is becoming a firey point of conversation in state and local politics, too.
WBUR Senior Political Reporter Anthony Brooks joins The Common to discuss how the immigration debate is entering and informing political discourse on Beacon Hill
From the newsroom: Voices, not vinyl
Team Common is off today, so we’re bringing you a story from our friends in the WBUR newsroom. We'll be back with our regular show tomorrow.
Today’s story comes from Arts Reporting Fellow, Solon Kelleher. It’s about a jukebox in Cambridge, redesigned by artist Elisa Hamilton to play stories from people in the community instead of music.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Ringing in the Year of the Dragon with Boston's lion dancers
Chinatown's streets will come to life on Sunday with thunderous drums and the piercing clang of cymbals as nine lion dance troupes celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese New Year Parade.
WBUR Podcast Fellow Cici Yu joins The Common to preview this year's parade, and give us a window into the vibrant history and community surrounding lion dance in Boston.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
With mobile sports betting, youth gambling is off to the races
Online sports betting was legalized in Massachusetts just over a year ago. Since then, Bay State gamblers have wagered almost $5 billion dollars. Additionally, while it's illegal for people under the age of 21 to gamble in Massachusetts, mental health and addiction workers have noted an uptick in teens and young adults seeking help for compulsive gambling.
Today on The Common, Boston Globe Addiction Reporter Chris Serres breaks down the surge in youth gambling and how online gambling apps are f
The women of Boston's Black Panther Party
Through June of this year, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is displaying 27 images taken by Stephen Shames of the women at the heart of the Black Panther Party.
WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray set out to review the exhibit, titled Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party, and was struck by one photo in particular -- it shows a group of five unnamed teenage Black Panther volunteers, four girls and one boy, taken right here in Boston.
Today on The Common, Arielle tells us about how she managed
Reduce, reuse, pee-cycle
The Cape has a dirty water problem. The main culprit? Pee. Over the years, waterways around Cape Cod have been increasingly impacted by peoples' septic tanks, which leach nitrogen and phosphorus -- from urine -- into the Cape's ground water. This, in turn, leads to unhealthy water quality and toxic algae blooms that are dangerous for humans and wildlife alike.
Municipalities around the Cape are now looking for solutions that will keep their tourist-attracting bodies of water clean and pee-free.
How Haitian migrants are finding their way to Mass.
Massachusetts’ strained shelter system has been struggling to keep up with an influx of families who are in need of housing. But where are these families coming from?
Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emmanuel set out to answer that question in a new story for WBUR. She found that roughly half of the families seeking help through the state family shelter system are newly arrived migrants, mostly from Haiti. Also, this is not the first time they’ve had to start over somewhere new.
To
No Valentine's Day dinner reservation? No problem.
This one's for all you last-minute romantics out there. While Boston is famously a reservation-first dining city, there are no shortage of walk-in-friendly restaurants available to accommodate your procrastinated Valentine's Day plans -- no matter what kind of vibe you're going for.
Today, Erika Adams, editor of Eater Boston joins The Common to walk us through six of her top reservation-free dining picks in Greater Boston.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
These Mass. cities are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
As the devastating war in Gaza continues, dozens of cities across the U.S. have passed resolutions in support of a ceasefire. Those cities include Chicago, Seattle, and our very own Somerville, Cambridge and, as of this week, Medford.
Leila Farsakh, professor of political science at UMass Boston, joins The Common to discuss what can be drawn from the successes of these resolutions, and what they may tell us about changing public opinion regarding the ongoing war in Gaza.
Greater Boston’s dail
It's back to school following Newton teachers strike
After two full weeks of canceled school, the Newton Teachers Association and Newton School Committee reached a deal on a new four-year teacher contract late last week. The final contract includes increased pay for paraprofessionals, a promise to staff additional social workers in the district and longer parental leave, among other measures.
WBUR Senior Education Reporter Carrie Jung joins The Common for a look at the longest teacher strike in recent memory, and for a breakdown of what made it,
Grab your towel, we're hitting the City Hall Plaza sauna
Have you ever dreamed of putting on your swimsuit, zipping up your winter coat, and heading downtown for a free sauna experience with friends and previously-unknown neighbors? If so, we've got the story for you.
Through March 3, Winter City Sauna, a free pop-up sauna, is posting up on Boston's City Hall Plaza and offering visitors the opportunity to warm up in community (up to six people at a time!) just steps away from City Hall. When we saw this headline, we knew we had to check it out - so C
Why it's so challenging to get a liquor license in Boston
For those opening full-service restaurants, a liquor license can be a key part of creating a sustainable business. But in the city of Boston, getting your hands on such a license can cost anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000 on a private market. One that exists due to a shortage of licenses available through the city.
Today, Boston Globe Magazine contributor Erick Trickey joins The Common for a deeper look at why it can be so financially challenging to get a liquor license in the city, and how th
What to do this month: Survive Valentine's Day
We can all take a collective sigh of relief that we survived January. Next up: Valentine's Day.
Whether you and your boo are looking for a cozy day at the movies, or you're looking to impress a new date with a wild night of Saltburn-inspired hijinks, or just for an opportunity to sing your heart out to Broadway tunes and revel in your own self-love, WBUR Assistant Director of City Space, Candice Springer, has you covered.
Candice recommends...
The Before Trilogy (part of Destination Romance) –
What you need to know about the Steward Health Care debacle
If you pay attention to the news, you've probably heard a lot about Steward Health Care System in the past couple weeks. It recently came to light that the for-profit company, which operates nine hospitals in Massachusetts, is in deep financial distress.
Long story short, it's a situation that could further exasperate health care access issues for the primarily low-income communities the company's hospitals serve, as well as jeopardize the jobs of thousands of hospital employees.
WBUR senior h
The future of free rides on the MBTA
The pilot program that allowed rides to be free on MBTA buses 23, 28 and 29 for the past two years ends on March 1. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has pledged to find more money to keep those routes free. Meanwhile, the MBTA and the state are marching forward with a plan to create a subsidized fare system for low-income riders.
The effort to continue the pilot program is a flashpoint in the debate in Massachusetts over whether it makes sense to charge transit riders, particularly those who are financ
Mass. will close historic MCI-Concord prison, saving millions
The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced last week that it will close the MCI-Concord, a medium-security facility that opened in 1878. The planned closure of MCI-Concord is expected to save $16 million every year and avoid spending $190 million on improving the facility. This decision aligns with the ongoing decline in state incarceration rates, marking MCI-Concord as the second prison closure following MCI-Cedar Junction in June 2023.
Today on The Common, WBUR senior correspondent
The housing assistance former foster kids in Mass. aren’t getting
Vouchers intended for homeless youth are underutilized in Mass.
In 2019, the federal government launched a housing program to help young people, aged 18 to 24 who have lived in foster care or other residential placement, pay for housing through the use of vouchers. But while Massachusetts likely has more than 1,000 young people currently living in homelessness who would be eligible for the vouchers, only 88 have been issued since the program started – and not even all of those have been put to
Nearly 70 books have been challenged in Mass. public schools
Nearly 70 different books were challenged in Massachusetts public schools by parents, residents and others over the last five years, according to reporting from Boston Globe. Frequently challenged books mostly involved gender, sexuality and race. Restrictions included removing books from the classroom curriculum, re-shelving books to sections of the library toward uppergraders and requiring parental permission.
Today, Boston Globe Reporter Chris Huffaker joins The Common for a look at the facto
Mass. hospitals will no longer ask doctors about their past mental health
Hospitals and health insurance companies in Mass. have agreed to stop asking doctors about their addiction and mental health history. Instead, focus will be put on current, untreated medical issues. The goal is to reduce stigmas and barriers that may keep some physicians from seeking mental health and substance abuse treatment.
WBUR senior health reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common to discuss the changing approach to mental health in the medical field.
Resources: If you or some
For those on the state family shelter waitlist, options are limited
In November, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state family shelter system had reached capacity and instituted a waitlist. There are currently three state-run overflow shelter sites in operation, which aim to provide temporary shelter to those waiting. Advocates say, it's not nearly enough.
Today, WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common with an update on the state's at-capacity family shelter system and efforts to support families waiting for shelter.
Grea
Why some Black churches are leaving Boston
More than a dozen Black churches have left Boston, or shuttered completely over the last ten years, according to reporting from the Boston Globe. Issues including gentrification, the cost of real estate and declining membership are among the factors contributing to the migration of these churches from Boston proper to nearby municipalities including Brockton, Abington and Randolph.
Today, Boston Globe Reporter Tiana Woodard joins The Common for a look at the factors driving some Black churches
Bonus: Undecided in New Hampshire | Part 3
Tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and developments have not slowed down in the last few days.
Just this weekend, Republican primary candidate Ron DeSantis decided to end his campaign, putting his endorsement behind the apparent frontrunner Donald Trump. This leaves New Hampshire Republican voters with two major options going into Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary: Trump and Nikki Haley.
Today on The Common, we talk to Boston Globe politics reporter Emma Platoff for the final part of o
Enrollment at Mass. community colleges is on the rise
Last fall, MassReconnect, a state program that helps Massachusetts residents 25 and older who do not already have a college degree attend community college for free, went into effect. The program has been popular, and all 15 state community colleges saw enrollment increase since the program started.
While community colleges report being pleased with the influx of students attending their institutions, administrators also report heavy workloads as they navigate an increasingly complex slew of st
Gov. Healey's first State of the Commonwealth
Gov. Maura Healey gave her first State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night. She reflected on her time in office so far and outlined her ambitious, and costly, agenda for the year to come. In the background though, the state has had to make a number of cuts to its budget because of a loss in tax income.
WBUR State House Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to recap Healey's address and how her goals may square off with the state's financial reality.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast w
Boston's Black-owned crystal shop
Body, Stone and Soul is a recently-opened Black and family-owned business in Jamaica Plain, selling crystals, candles, sage and other spiritual items. Spiritual practices like crystal healing and tarot have become increasingly popular in the last few years, particularly among the Black community.
Today on The Common, WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray tells us more about Body, Stone and Soul, its mother and son owner duo, and the connection between the Black community and new age spirituality.
Great
When Walgreens leaves the neighborhood
In December, Roxbury residents learned the Walgreens location on Warren Street would close its doors in January. It's the fourth Boston Walgreens to close in just over a year, all of which have been in predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods. For customers in those communities, the closures mean more than just losing a pharmacy -- it may also mean decreased access to groceries, hygiene products and certain essential healthcare services.
Today on The Common, Boston Globe Money, Power and In
Three cheers for the three-decker
Chances are you've lived in one, and if not you've definitely seen them all over the Greater Boston area: the iconic New England triple-decker (or three-decker) building.
So you might be surprised to learn that in late 2023, Somerville City Council voted to fully re-legalize the iconic housing stock that is almost ubiquitous to our local urban landscape.
CommonWealth Beacon Reporter and podcast host (and certified three-decker fanatic) Jennifer Smith joins The Common to talk about our favorite
Bonus: Undecided in New Hampshire | Part 2
Last week, Chris Christie suspended his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president. Christie's exit comes just weeks before the influential New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23.
Today, we bring you the second part of our bonus series in collaboration with the Boston Globe, talking with undecided Republican voters in New Hampshire to see what their priorities are ahead of their state's first in the nation primary.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Winter arts recommendations to warm up your season
The winter months are a perfect time to take in some of the great art Boston (and beyond!) has to offer. That's why the WBUR Arts and Culture team has put together seven arts guides, ranging from dance to music to film, to guide you through the season.
WBUR Senior Arts and Culture Editor Dianna Bell joins The Common with some of her top picks for the season.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune lays out her priorities
At-Large Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune was elected, by her peers, to be the new president of the Boston City Council. Her new leadership position follows her November re-election to her second term on the council. Councilor Louijeune takes over leadership of the council from former Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn and she is the first Haitian-American to serve in the position.
Today, Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune joins The Common to discuss her top priorities as council presid
Bonus: Undecided in New Hampshire | Part 1
The New Hampshire presidential primary often has an outsized impact on who will become a party's nominee. Through a collaboration with the Boston Globe, we check in with undecided Republican voters to see how they're thinking about their vote.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Getting a taste of dry January at Dray
It's the first month of a new year, which means many folks are observing "dry January" by abstaining from alcohol.
To hear more about this popular seasonal pursuit, The Common visits Boston's first non-alcoholic bottle shop, Dray. We also gain a few tips on how to reduce alcohol intake, without sacrificing beverage options, with Dray owner, Pat Dooling.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
The future of Boston Public Schools' buildings
Last week, Boston Public Schools released a long-anticipated "master plan" for school facilities in the city. The plan aims to address well-documented issues with Boston's school buildings, many of which were build before World War II, and decreasing enrollment. But, as WBUR education reporter Max Larkin explains on this episode of The Common, the plan is light on details. Many questions remain regarding how this plan will impact each of Boston's 119 schools -- especially when it comes to closin
The push for a higher minimum wage continues
Last year, minimum wage earners in Massachusetts gained a new $15 hourly pay floor -- the final increase in a five-year plan that aimed to increase pay for some of the states lowest earning workers. While Massachusetts' minimum wage is among the highest in the country, advocates say a $15 wage falls short of providing a livable income for workers in the state, considering the cost of living.
Today, WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to discuss a new push for a $20
What to do this month: Mass. movies and a whale of a puppet show
If your New Year's Resolution is to see more live music, movies filmed in Massachusetts, or life-sized puppets acting out 19th century literary classics on stage – then boy, do we have the episode for you.
WBUR Assistant Director of CitySpace Candice Springer is back with her top picks for events and happenings around Boston this January.
Candice recommends...
Curated Cuisine: Cultivating a curious palate for kids with Cooking For Levi's Jack Zhang - Jan. 8, WBUR CitySpace
Candlelight Conce
Harvard President Claudine Gay resigns
Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, has resigned. Gay's six month tenure was the shortest in Harvard history. In the past months, she has endured controversy around the school’s handling of discourse over the war in Gaza, as well as alleged plagiarism in her own research. Gay’s decision to step down from her position also comes just three weeks after Harvard’s governing body cemented its support for her to remain in the role, as outside political pressures pushed for her resignation.
Field Guide: Pupusas, empanadas, and more in East Boston
Today, we're taking you to East Boston to check out some of the great Latino-owned restaurants in the neighborhood.
East Boston is a neighborhood of immigrants, through and through. Latinos make up more than 50% of the neighborhood, and just shy of 65% of Eastie residents over the age of five speak a language other than English at home, according to 2020 census data.
Our local guide is Luz Gladys Oliveros. Gladys is the Latinx Advisor for Equity and Inclusion for the Mayor of Boston and has li
What local wage gap data can tell us about pay equity in Boston
A 2023 report from the Boston Women's Workforce Council shows that the gender wage gap in Greater Boston decreased by nine cents over the previous two years, while the racial wage gap increased by three cents since 2021.
Today, Boston Globe Workforce and Income Inequality Reporter Katie Johnston joins The Common to break down this report, and what it can tell us about pay equity in our community.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Rewind: Heat in the South End
Team Common has been off this week, so in place of our regular show, we’re bringing you a special re-drop of our Earth Week series: Climate Now. Today’s episode published on April 20th, and brings us to Boston’s South End, where residents have already been feeling the intensifying effects of urban heat for years.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Rewind: The neighbors of Crane Ledge Woods
Team Common is off today, but we’ve still got a great show in store for you. It’s the third episode of our Climate Now series from Earth Week 2023. It published on April 19th, and takes us to Hyde Park, where community members are fighting to protect a parcel of land called Crane Ledge Woods.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Rewind: Erosion and the Boston Harbor Islands
Team Common is off again today, so we’re bringing you the second episode of our Climate Now series from Earth Week 2023. Today’s episode originally published on April 18th and brings us to the Boston Harbor Islands, where rising sea levels and storms threaten to wash away the irreplaceable history and nature the islands hold.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Rewind: Powering Chinatown's energy resilience
Team Common is off this week so we’re re-sharing our Climate Now series from earlier in the year. Today’s episode originally published on April 17th and takes us to Boston’s Chinatown, where residents are taking climate resilience into their own hands.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
A message from host, Darryl C. Murphy
Team Common is taking the day to rest and recharge with friends and family, we hope you are too.
We’ll be in your feeds tomorrow with a special re-drop of our Climate Now series from Earth Week this year, which highlights the very real ways climate change is already impacting our communities here in Greater Boston.
In the meantime, have a very happy holiday. We’ll talk to you soon.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Noche Buena means 'Good Night'
Noche Buena means “Good Night” in Spanish. In Latino communities, Noche Buena is a celebration that takes place between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, with friends, family, food, presents and dancing. Festivities usually go late into the night, or even all night long.
Today for The Common, WBUR Fellow Jacob Garcia took a trip to East Boston to ask folks about their favorite Noche Buena traditions.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
A year in Boston food
It was a big year for food in Boston. In 2023 the city saw major restaurant openings, some cool innovations and some heartbreaking closures.
Today, we're grabbing lunch with Erika Adams, editor for Eater Boston, to look back at a year of dining in the region.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Mayor Wu's housing production goals
Last week, Mayor Michelle Wu offered a first look at her housing production goal for the city of Boston during her first term. Her administration aims to produce about 13,000 new housing units, including 4,700 income-restricted units, between 2021 and 2025.
CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith joins The Common to further break down Mayor Wu's housing production goals, and what they could mean for the city's ongoing housing shortage.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Sound On: Boston Rapper Pink Navel is playing games
Sound On is WBUR's series highlighting rising local musicians. In its latest installment, WBUR Senior Arts Reporter Amelia Mason profiles Boston-based indie rapper Pink Navel, who fuses hip-hop, video games and the creative power of play in their latest album "How To Capture Playful."
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Overdose deaths aren't going down, here's what one mom is doing about it
Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its twice-annual overdose report, which indicates that overdose deaths for 2023 are set to be on par with the record-setting numbers the state saw in 2022. The DPH also endorsed controversial overdose prevention centers, where staff are present to supervise and, if needed, reverse overdoses as the first step towards reducing overdose deaths.
WBUR's Martha Bebinger has been reporting on addiction for over a decade. She joins The C
Harvard President Claudine Gay will stay
The Harvard Corporation has announced it will stand by the school's president, Claudine Gay. Some U.S. lawmakers and alumni made calls for her resignation in response to Gay's recent testimony on Harvard's handling of anti-semitism on campus in the wake of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin joins The Common to discuss the university's decision and the road forward for Gay and the Harvard community.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and cul
WBUR's Cognoscenti 2023 wrapped
Cognoscenti is WBUR’s ideas and opinion section where local experts, writers and thinkers of all kinds share their perspectives on a range of topics, from Taylor Swift to climate change. This year gave us plenty of things to ponder. So, as the year winds down, we reached out to Cognoscenti senior editor Cloe Axelson to talk to us about three themes from the year that resonated within the Cognoscenti community.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
60 is the new 50, and other thoughts on finding yourself at any age
Seniors are healthier, better educated and living longer than in generations past. In his series "The Third Act," WBUR Senior Political Reporter Anthony Brooks tells the stories of people who have embraced these years of late and mid-life to improve and re-invented themselves.
Today, Anthony joins The Common with more on these stories, and what we can all take away from watching others age with purpose, regardless of our own life stage.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture mee
Boston's largest police union says "yes" to a new contract with the city
Last week, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association approved a new contract with the City of Boston after 18 months of negotiations. The new contract makes it harder for officers involved in certain crimes to keep their jobs, provides some reforms to overtime pay and increases the base salary for officers over a five year period, among other measures.
WBUR State Politics Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common with more on what's in the contract and what it means for policing in the city.
G
Boston's untold Black history
Boston is known for its host of historic landmarks, such as the Boston Tea Party and the USS Constitution, but there are also many historical stories and sites in the city that too often go unheard and unseen. Researcher and educator Joel Mackall seeks to change this through his Hidden History of Black Boston tours -- a series of driving and walking tours that highlight the city's often untold Black history.
WBUR reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to discuss Mackall's Hidden History of Blac
Field Guide: 4 Boston holiday markets to get your shop on
Procrastinators, beware! The holidays are around the corner but luckily, Boston has a wide selection of holiday markets to find unique and local-made gifts for everyone on your list.
WBUR Associate Producer for Newsletters Hanna Ali joins The Common to recommend four Boston-area holiday markets to visit this season.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Local Rabbis on celebrating Hanukkah this year
It's the first night of Hanukkah. It is also the two month anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the beginning of Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza.
Ahead of the holiday, WBUR's Simon Rios took the time to check in with local Rabbis about how they are navigating this time with their congregations. He joins The Common to share what they told him.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Behind the pro-Palestinian protests in Boston
Israel's military action in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas has led to demonstrations across the country and the world, in support of a ceasefire and Palestinian liberation. That includes here in Boston, where protesters have demonstrated at the Boston Common Christmas tree lighting, the chambers of Boston City Council and outside of a fundraiser for President Joe Biden in Boston on Tuesday.
Lelia Farsakh is a professor of political science at UMass Boston. She joins The Common
$250 million for the state's family shelter system
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed a long-awaited supplemental budget bill containing $250 million in funding for the state's overburdened family shelter system. The bill had been stalled in the state's House and Senate over disagreements on allocating those funds, past the conclusion of the official legislative session, which ended on Nov. 15.
WBUR State House Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to discuss the contents of the budget bill and the challenges it faced getting th
Boston is considering a guaranteed income program
Last week, city councilors and officials from Mayor Michelle Wu's administration held a public hearing to discuss the possibility of piloting a guaranteed basic income program for low-income Bostonians.
The proposal is still in the early most stages of consideration, but based on results of similar programs in neighboring communities, it could be a game changer for the nearly one in five Boston residents who living below the poverty line.
State House News Service reporter Sam Drysdale joins
What to do this month: naughty and nice holiday spectaculars
The holiday season is upon us, and whether you're looking to catch a pop diva or a risqué take on a classic seasonal favorite, assistant director for WBUR CitySpace Candice Springer has you covered with a slate of activities to get you out and about this December.
Candice recommends...
Mariah Carey in concert: The "Merry Christmas One and All" tour - Dec. 11, TD Garden
A Christmas Carol: A benefit for Rosie's Place - Dec. 19, WBUR CitySpace
The Slutcracker - Dec. 1 - Dec. 31, Somerville Thea
A different approach to supporting loved ones with addiction
Almost one-third of adults in the U.S. say they, or someone in their family, have been addicted to opioids. Often, families have been encouraged to use a "tough love" approach with their loved ones, but a growing number of health care professionals are starting to rethink this. Instead, they want to more intentionally include families and friends in the recovery process.
WBUR's Deborah Becker joins The Common to share the story of Ken Feldstein, an addiction councilor who said he "landed on lo
That application fee your landlord charged you might be illegal
Massachusetts is one of only two states where it's illegal for landlords to charge an application fee to perspective renters. Even so, advocates say that these fees are on the rise as rental options in the region remain tight.
WBUR Senior Reporter Simón Rios joins The Common to explain how landlord application fees differ from other legal fees you may face as a renter, and what these fees can tell us about the reality of being a landlord or renter in Massachusetts today.
Greater Boston’s weekl
When love comes with a life sentence
What does the criminal justice system do to love? This question is at the core of "We Found Love," is a new miniseries from the Boston Globe's Love Letters Podcast. It follows three couples, each at a different stage in their relationship, but all of whom met while one member was incarcerated in Massachusetts with a life sentence.
Today, Boston Globe Criminal Justice Reporter Ivy Scott joins The Common with more on this project, and what these stories can tell us about our criminal justice syst
Massachusetts' 2024 Teacher of the Year is making history
De'Shawn Washington, a fourth-grade teacher at Maria Hastings Elementary School in Lexington, has been named the 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
De’Shawn’s dedication to teaching leadership and conflict resolution skills to his students helped set him apart from his peers, earning him the state's top award for educators.
Today on The Common, we take you to Lexington to learn more about what brought De'Shawn to teaching, how he hopes to advocate for teachers and students alike during hi
From the newsroom: Entrepreneurs want to use EV chargers to highlight historic Black landmarks
Team Common is taking the day to relax and recharge. So we’re bringing you a feature from our friends in the WBUR newsroom.
Today’s story comes from climate and environment reporter, Paula Moura.
According to state data, most people who have taken advantage of the electric vehicle rebates in Massachusetts live in wealthier communities. But the state is working on ways to make EV access more equitable, including by funding one project that is bringing electric vehicle chargers to Black communit
A message from host, Darryl C. Murphy
Darryl C. Murphy here,
Team Common is off today, but we just wanted to pop in your feed real quick to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. We really hope you're eating good out there.
We are so thankful for all of you who choose to spend your time with us.
We love making this show for you.
Thanks as always for listening to The Common. We’ll talk to you soon.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
For your holiday table: A dreamy cocktail from Comfort Kitchen
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Which means this Wednesday is a Friday, and it's the second day of our two-part Thanksgiving cooking series with Dorchester’s Comfort Kitchen.
Today’s recipe comes from Comfort Kitchen's principal bartender and bar manager, Danameche Teron, who came by the studio to share "Dream Street", one of their signature drinks. It should be a great fit alongside your Thanksgiving meal.
Dream Street
Combine in a shaker:
Spirited Version:
Two ounces of Sorel
Half ounce of oran
For your holiday table: Comfort Kitchen's star okra
Comfort Kitchen in Dorchester was one of Boston’s hottest restaurants to open this year. The New York Times even included it on their list of 50 best new restaurants across the country. As a special holiday treat, today and tomorrow we’re featuring two recipes, one side dish and one cocktail, from Comfort Kitchen's menu that you can make at home to help impress your Thanksgiving guests.
For today's recipe, Comfort Kitchen Chef Partner Kwasi Kwaa joined us in the WBUR Kitchen to make a signature
Where to find heating assistance this winter
Winter is coming, and with it, higher heating bills. Thankfully there is a range of options available to Massachusetts residents in need of heating assistance.
WBUR Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common, to give a rundown of all the ways you can save on heat this year.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
America's gun industry has roots in Massachusetts
America was, and continues to be, forged by the gun industry. The Gun Machine, a new podcast from WBUR and The Trace looks at this intertwined history -- from the founding of the nation, to the gun industry's roots here in Massachusetts, to the country's very present gun violence crisis in an eight-part series.
Producer for The Gun Machine Grace Tatter joins The Common with a preview of this new project.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The National Climate Assessment has notes for the Northeast
The fifth National Climate Assessment was released this week. The report spans the nation, but the section focused on the Northeast paints a picture of a region hit hard by the effects of climate change, including extreme heat, heavy rains, flooding and the inequality concerns that come along with a changing climate. But there's good news, too. The report tips its hat to climate-specific policy efforts in the Northeast and regional support for green infrastructure, such as nature-based approache
A waitlist for homeless families
Last month, Governor Maura Healey announced that the state would cap the number of families guaranteed shelter in the state-run shelter system at 7,500 families. Last week, that cap was reached, which means qualifying families must now sit on a waitlist, prioritized based on safety and health concerns, until a slot opens up within the system.
WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common with more on the waitlist process, and what options remain for families in need
Head Start centers are facing a staffing shortage
Head Start centers offer early education and care to children under five from low-income families. But recent shortages in staffing have lead some Massachusetts centers, including here in Boston, to cut down on the number of children they're able to serve. Reducing the number of available slots means more families are finding themselves on wait lists, which are often already lengthy.
WBUR Education Reporting Fellow Emily Piper-Vallillo joins The Common with more on this teaching shortage and ho
Field Guide: What's up with Mass.'s liquor laws?
New Englanders are known for having a buttoned up rule or two, including around alcohol (we're look at you, no happy hour). And it's not uncommon to hear some of our region’s founding colonizers, the Puritans, getting blame for that. But how involved were the Puritans in shaping our current rules around liquor, really?
WBUR reporter Simón Rios looked into this as part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston series. He joins The Common with more on Massachusetts liquor laws, and how the traditions of t
A very Common birthday
This week marked one whole year of The Common. It has been an absolute blast bringing you the best of Boston news and culture over the past year. So to celebrate our birthday, Team Common producers Katelyn Harrop and Frannie Monahan join Darry C. Murphy to reflect on some of their favorite episodes from the last year.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Progressives hold on to Boston City Council
This week's municipal elections brought home big wins for progressives on Boston City Council, and Mayor Wu, who saw all of her endorsements sail to victory.
WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann was at the polls on Tuesday. He joins The Common to review the night's results and discuss what lies ahead for City Council's returning — and brand-new — members.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Harvard, its donors and the war in Gaza
For the past month, Harvard University has been in the international media spotlight as the campus community contends with the Israel-Hamas conflict and concerns about antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiments at home.
In recent weeks, some donors have signed an open letter to Harvard's administration, putting pressure on the university to ramp up its response to antisemitism on campus. WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin joins The Common to discuss the relationship between Harvard and its do
Councilor Frank Baker makes his exit
Today is municipal election day in Boston, and voters have a number of decisions to make about who will represent them on City Council for the next two years. As we wait for votes to be counted, one thing is for certain: Councilor Frank Baker will not be returning to City Hall in January.
Baker, who announced he would not be seeking reelection earlier this year, has held the District 3 seat for 12 years. He’s known for being one of the few moderate voices on a majority left council, and for his
BPS's contentious strategy for English learners
Nine out of 13 members of Boston Public Schools’ English Learners task force have resigned over the district’s proposed plan to overhaul its treatment of students who are still learning English — a subset of learners equalling nearly a third of all students in the district.
Deanna Pan is a reporter with The Boston Globe's Great Divide team, which reports on inequality in Boston area schools. She joins The Common to lay out the details of BPS's new inclusion plan and the ELL task forces' critici
What to do this month: Queens of comedy and a Pee-Wee tribute
Don't let the chilly weather get you down! WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director Candice Springer is back on The Common with a piping hot list of events to get you out of your house and out on the town this November.
Candice recommends...
- Freakonomics Radio Live - Nov. 9, WBUR CitySpace
- Atsuko Okatsuka: Full Grown Tour, Nov. 10, The Wilbur
- Field Trip: Arts and Crafts - Nov. 13, WBUR CitySpace
- Ziwe: The Black Friend Tour - Nov. 29, The Wilbur
- We "R" All Pee-Wee: A Tribute to Pee-Wee Her
MBTA's South Coast Rail chugs closer to completion
A train line connecting Boston, New Bedford, Taunton and Fall River has been in the works for three decades. Now, the project, South Coast Rail, is closer to completion -- after several false starts and pushed deadlines.
WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common with more on the expected timeline for this MBTA project, and how it's being received in the city of New Bedford.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Heavy rains could lead to sewage in your local waterways
One pipe for the stuff you flush down the toilet, and another for stormwater runoff. That's how modern sewer systems do it. In this two-pipe system, the wastewater from our homes and businesses run into a treatment plant, and the stormwater – into nearby waterways.
But Massachusetts is old, and in some parts of the state, wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipe. On most days, these so-called combined sewer systems work fine, with all the water ending up at a treatment facility. Bu
City to start clearing tents at "Mass and Cass" mid-week
Last week, the Boston City Council passed an ordinance banning tent encampments in the city. The ordinance focuses on the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard known as "Mass and Cass," which has become a center for homelessness and drug use in Boston.
Under the ordinance, which was originally proposed by Mayor Michelle Wu and passed by the council with some changes, the city can not clear a tent until the people living there have been offered alternative shelter. The rule
Field Guide: A piece of home in Dorchester's Little Saigon
Boston Little Saigon is one of the city’s four official cultural districts as designated by the state. Located in Fields Corner in Dorchester, the district was officially designated in 2021, but to its residents, Little Saigon has been an anchor for Vietnamese culture in the region for decades.
To learn more about the district's food and experiences, and its place in the New England Vietnamese community, The Common toured Little Saigon with Annie Le, board president of Boston Little Saigon. Thi
Boston City Council elections: Meet your District 3 candidates
Today we bring you the last of our Boston City Council candidate interviews. Today's candidates are running in District 3, which includes parts of Dorchester, the South End and South Boston.
For more than a decade, the district has been represented by councilor Frank Baker. Councilor Baker announced early this year that he would not be seeking reelection this November.
On the ballot to replace him are candidates John FitzGerald and Joel Richards. We met up with each of them in a location of t
Boston City Council elections: Meet your District 5 candidates
It’s day two of our election coverage, checking in with candidates competing for Boston City Council seats in districts 6, 5 and 3, all of which are facing a guaranteed change in leadership come January since no incumbent is running in them.
Today, we’re heading to District 5, which is made up of Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale.
Earlier this year, District 5 incumbent Ricardo Arroyo was eliminated during the preliminary. It was one of two historic upsets (District 6 incumbent City Councilor Ke
Boston City Council Elections: Meet your District 6 candidates
Municipal elections take place on November 7 in Boston, and our city council is on the ballot.
For the rest of this week, The Common is checking in with the candidates in three city council races -- District 5, District 6 and District 3, where a change in leadership is guaranteed.
Today, we head to District 6, where earlier this year incumbent City Councilor Kendra Lara was defeated in a preliminary election. It was one of two historic upsets (District 5 incumbent City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo
The MBTA knew the GLX tracks were too narrow
A new report from The Boston Globe shows that MBTA officials were aware of issues with the Green Line Extension's construction long before the line opened to passengers earlier this year.
Previously on The Common, Taylor Dolven, transportation reporter for The Globe, explained that slow zones were imposed on parts of the GLX after it was discovered that the rails on certain portions of the line were dangerously narrow. Today, Taylor tells us that not only are more than half of the rails along t
It's hard out here for a beech
Beech trees are native to the Northeast and make up about 10% of forests in Massachusetts.
The tree, which is identifiable by its smooth trunk and wide canopy, is a crucial habitat and food source for many animal species in the region. But in recent years, a microscopic worm-caused disease has been targeting beech leaves, causing many trees to starve to death over time. The disease is spreading, and fast.
WBUR climate and environment reporter Paula Moura joins The Common to tell us more about
Federal student loan payments are back, baby
Federal student loan payment requirements have resumed after a break that lasted more than three years, which means a big change in monthly financial planning for many Bay Staters.
According to the Education Data Initiative, almost 13% of Massachusetts residents held federal student loan debt in 2022, and the average federal student loan debt total was more than $34,000 per individual.
We at The Common wanted to get an idea of how that kind of debt impacts borrowers’ short and long-term financ
How to start a hard conversation about the conflict in Gaza
The images and stories coming out of the Israel-Hamas war are devastating. As the death toll rises, Team Common has been thinking a lot about how, and where, we should add to the discourse going on worldwide and within our community as this crisis unfolds.
We found ourselves going over just how hard it is to enter conversations that hold so much history and pain and complexity. So that's where we want to start today. Karen Ross is an associate professor with UMass Boston’s Department of Conflic
Massachusetts to stop guaranteeing shelter to families in need
On Monday, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state will soon stop guaranteeing shelter to families in need in Massachusetts. The governor said the system is overwhelmed, and announced a cap on guaranteed placements at 7,500 families. The state expects to hit this cap by the end of the month. The state said that once the cap is hit, qualified households, including those newly arrived from other countries, will be put on a waiting list.
WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel
Some scientists want to give the ocean an iron supplement
As the climate crisis becomes increasingly dire, a group of scientists are considering a striking technique for carbon sequestration: An iron supplement for the ocean.
The idea's called "iron enrichment," and it involves artificially introducing iron to parts of the ocean that are low on it. The goal is to help plants, especially algae, grow so that they can capture and sequester more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It's a bold approach, that many scientists wouldn't have considered years a
Ten creatives making waves in Boston, and beyond
WBUR's Arts and Culture desk spent months pouring over almost 300 public submissions for its annual series celebrating creatives of color in Greater Boston. Now, the 2023 Makers have been announced.
WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to discuss the project and the artists who will be featured online, on the radio and in-person all week long.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Fire up your SAD lamps, winter is coming
There are few things the Northeast does as well as autumn. But the season can be tough for certain people, as shorter days and colder temperatures may bring on feelings of depression and isolation, and exasperate existing mental health concerns for some.
Dr. Michelle DiBlasi is Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center. She joins The Common to share some tips on how to shore up your mental health as we head into the colder months.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and cultu
Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter on growing up Springfield
Ruth E. Carter is a two-time Oscar-winning costume designer who has dressed characters in hit movies and TV series for more than three decades. Her designs can be seen in works such as Do The Right Thing, The Five Heartbeats, both Marvel Black Panther movies, Yellowstone and Seinfeld. She's also a native of Springfield, Mass. And on Sunday, October 15, she is being honored with the Coolidge Award at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, an honor that celebrates one outstanding film artist wh
In El Salvador, a family waits for answers
Reina Carolina Morales Rojas, a recent immigrant from El Salvador, was living in East Boston when she went missing on November 26, 2022. It took Boston Police over 6 weeks to announce her disappearance on January 12, 2023 –– a huge delay for a missing persons case. Almost a year later, she has yet to be found.
Marcela Garcia is a columnist at The Boston Globe and one of few members of the media following her story closely. While the search for answers drags on, Marcela visited Reina Carolina’s
Making head(winds) or tails of the Mass. offshore wind industry
Depending on what you read, it can be hard to get a sense of where the offshore wind energy industry is at in Massachusetts.
On the one hand, the long awaited Vineyard Wind project is anticipated to start generating electricity for the grid by the end of the year. But on the other, the futures of other potential offshore wind projects are currently up in the air due to economic challenges, such as inflation and supply chain issues.
Miriam Wasser is a senior environment and climate reporter at
From the newsroom: At MASS MoCA, artist Joseph Grigely shares his experience of being deaf
Team Common is observing Indigenous Peoples’ Day (check out our recent episode on the movement to make it an official holiday statewide). So today, we’re bringing you a story from our friends in the WBUR Newsroom.
Joseph Grigely: In What Way Wham? is a new exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art that centers on the deaf experience. WBUR Arts Fellow Solon Kelleher recently took a trip to MASS MoCA to see how the exhibit helps expand accessibility at the museum by using visua
What to do this month: Let it go, shake it off and catch a show
The weather is getting chillier and the days are getting shorter, which makes it a great time to catch a show. WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director Candice Springer joins The Common with three great live and film productions you can take in this month, all of which celebrate great movies, and the music that goes with them.
Candice recommends...
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert - Oct. 7, Emerson Colonial Theatre
- Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour (movie) - Oct. 13 - Oct. 22, Cooli
The fight for Indigenous Peoples' Day in Massachusetts
On Monday, October 9th, the City of Boston will recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day. But at the Massachusetts Statehouse, the second Monday in October continues to be recognized as Columbus Day. On Tuesday, a joint committee on Beacon Hill heard testimony on legislation that aims to change that.
Jean-Luc Pierite, President of the Board of Directors of the North American Indian Center of Boston was there, sharing his perspective on why he stands for the effort to change the holiday. He joins The C
You can out-walk parts of the Green Line Extension
On portions of tracks adding up to more than a mile, Green Line Extension trains are moving at only three miles-per-hour. The MBTA says these slow zones are a response to recent tests showing that portions of the tracks are narrowing. A concept that many transit experts say is unheard of.
Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven broke this story last week. She joins' The Common with more on what we know, and don't know, about the condition of the GLX, and how it's impacting the commun
New tax breaks for caregivers and renters are just a signature away
Last week, state lawmakers voted in favor of a $1 billion tax relief package that officials say could save taxpayers in Massachusetts a collective $561 million this fiscal year. The legislation now awaits Gov. Maura Healey's signature.
Today, Boston Globe Politics Reporter Samantha J. Gross joins The Common to discuss what this wide-ranging package could mean for parents, caretakers, renters and low-income taxpayers in the state.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
In Reading, a nature-based approach to flooding
Flash flooding events are expected to increase in Massachusetts under the impacts of climate change. Reading, a town about 20 minutes north of Boston, is trying to mitigate flood impacts with a nature-based approach that involves digging seven ponds in a conservation area near the river. The goal is for the ponds to collect water that might otherwise cause flooding, while offering additional benefits such as an environment rich in native plants for birds and other animals, and a welcoming green
The Dorchester Reporter turns 40
The Dorchester Reporter, founded in 1983 by husband and wife Ed and Mary Forry, celebrated 40 years of circulation this month. Bill Forry, current publisher of The Reporter (and Ed and Mary's son) was 10-years-old when his parents started the paper.
Today, Bill Forry joins The Common with his wife and co-publisher Linda Dorcena Forry to reflect on four decades of The Dorchester Reporter and how it helped shaped the Boston we know today.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture me
A FERCin' pipeline expansion
Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, wants to expand one of its pipelines in the Northeast in order to increase the supply of natural gas to states like Massachusetts. This comes as Massachusetts and surrounding states are actively trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in order to combat the impacts of climate change. However, pipeline expansion projects like this one fall under the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), rather than individual state governments.
Mir
Cartoons for everyone at Boston's indie comics expo
The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (M.I.C.E) is a festival focusing on independent, small press and self-published comics and cartoons. This year's event is hosted by Boston University's School of Visual Arts, and takes place September 30-October 1st at BU's Fuller Building (808 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Mass.) And best of all, it's free to attend.
Dan Mazur is a professional cartoonist, comics historian and the co-director of M.I.C.E. He joins The Common to talk about what attendees
Why Natick had to pay WBUR $22,000
After months of refusing to provide records on a police officer who was accused of sexual assault, the town of Natick has paid WBUR more than $22,000 in a lawsuit settlement. It's the latest example of a Massachusetts city paying out big, after being sued for ignoring or rejecting a request for public records.
Ally Jarmanning is a senior reporter for WBUR. She joins The Common to talk about why municipalities continue to withhold public records despite knowing they may have to pay, and how this
There is a housing crisis in Mass. Still, 2300 state housing units sit empty
Massachusetts is in the midst of a housing crisis. Just last month, Governor Maura Healey declared an emergency in the state's family shelter system, through which a record number of people are desperately trying to obtain housing.
Producer's note: After this interview was recorded, state housing officials announced that they are launching a 90-day effort to reduce the number of vacancies in state public housing by the end of 2023 as a response to the impactful reporting described in this episo
Your guide to the chillest art in Boston and beyond this fall
The end of summer means a whole slue of fun things to do in Greater Boston.
Like cinema? How about dance? There are more than half-a-dozen film festivals happening in the region this autumn, and over a dozen dance events.
How about new music for a new season?
Look no further than WBUR's Fall Arts Guides, featuring new albums from local artists, theatre events, art exhibitions, classical music performances and more.
WBUR Arts Editor Lauren Williams joins The Common to discuss some of highligh
A shakeup at the Mass. Cannabis Control Commission
The top regulator of the state's $5-billion legal weed industry has been suspended, even as the Control Commission is poised to make new rules governing cannabis production and commerce in Massachusetts.
State lawmakers also sent a letter Monday to the Legislature’s committee on cannabis policy, asking for a hearing and an independent state auditing unit to review the board's actions.
Today, Boston Globe staff reporter Matt Stout joins The Common to discuss State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg's d
Invasive green crabs could be coming to a restaurant near you
Green crabs are an incredibly successful — and harmful — invasive species. They thrive in ocean waters the world over, including in New England.
Although traditionally only used as fish bait, some chefs are now serving green crab at Boston restaurants.
Today, Radio Boston Producer & Director Amanda Beland joins The Common to explain how green crabs are harming our local environment, and what some people are doing to fight back.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
As cold season looms, we now have seasonal vaccines for RSV, Covid and the flu
With traditional flu season bearing down fast, and Covid-19 on the rise, the upcoming fall and winter might be better characterized as a triple-viral threat: Covid, flu and RSV.
This is also the first year we've ever had vaccines available for all three respiratory viruses.
Public health experts say the threat to the public at large -- and the hospital system -- must be taken seriously, but with more anti-viral-tools in our toolbox than ever before, there may also be also be some room for caut
Salem High School wants students to lock up their phones
Starting this year, Salem High School is instructing students to put their phones into lockable pouches during the school day, outside of lunch, to reduce in-class distractions and encourage in-person interactions.
Today, WBUR Senior Education Reporter Carrie Jung joins The Common to talk about this new policy, how students are responding, and what's next for cell phone restriction policies in high schools across the region.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
José Massó on 48 years of “¡Con Salsa!”
Amplify Latinx's ALX100 recognizes inspirational leaders from across Massachusetts' Latinx community's diverse professions, nationalities and identities. This year's inaugural list of 100 includes WBUR's own José Massó, host of ¡Con Salsa!, the station's bilingual salsa and Latin jazz music show that has been on the air for 48 years.
José joins The Common to discuss the ALX100 honor and ¡Con Salsa's! impact on Greater Boston over the decades.
Listen to ¡Con Salsa! on WBUR Saturday nights at 10
Two Boston city councilors lose their seats
Boston City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) and Kendra Lara (District 6) lost their bids for reelection during Tuesday's preliminary vote. This follows a year of controversy for both the councilors and city council. It's also the first time in over 40 years that an incumbent city councilor has lost a preliminary election in the city of Boston.
WBUR Reporter Walter Wuthmann was at the polls on Tuesday. He joins The Common to discuss the upset and what it means going into the November gene
Field Guide: A taste of Mattapan
Today, we're heading to Mattapan, looking for food. This culinary quest is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston -- a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities.
WBUR arts reporter and Mattapan native Arielle Gray joins us as a local guide on this episode of The Common, and takes us to three of her can't-miss spots for top-tier food in the neighborhood.
Ari recommends....
- Ali's Roti Restaurant: 118 Blue Hill Ave.
- Café Juice Up: 1290 Blue Hill Ave.
- Le Foyer Bake
Cousin Stizz brings hip hop to the Seaport with Commonwealth Fest
Cousin Stizz is a Dorchester-raised (currently LA-based) MC who broke out in 2014 with his song "Shoutout." Since then, he's gone on to release five albums and has won Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards three times (2018, 2019 and 2022). Now, he's returning to Boston on September 16 to launch Commonwealth Fest, a hip hop festival featuring a stacked lineup of local artists as well as national acts.
Cousin Stizz joins The Common to preview Commonwealth Fest and discuss its, as well a
The latest on the Massachusetts family shelter crisis
A month ago, Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency within Massachusetts' family shelter system, which is struggling to support record numbers of unhoused families across the state.
WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common today to discuss several of her latest stories from within the state's family shelter system, including challenges enrolling newly arrived children in school, as well as recent anti-immigrant protests targeting family shelter loc
Boston is back to school
Thursday marked the first day of school for Boston Public Schools, and WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin was out as busses departed and facility doors opened, talking to students and parents to get an idea of what's top-of-mind heading into the 2023-2024 school year.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The TikTok creator searching for Boston's best take-away
Boston-based content creator Keonte Henson, also known as @atstayathomedad, has built a following on TikTok and Instagram with his humorous, real-talk approach to local restaurant reviews. Often recording from the driver's seat of his parked car, Henson reviews Greater Boston food options with a focus on casual eateries, take-away spots and budget-friendly options.
Keonte Henson joins The Common to talk about how creating food-related content has helped him connect with Boston since his 2022 mo
Where heat death tracking falls short
Experts say that many cities and states, including Massachusetts, are vastly underestimating the number of people who die from heat every summer. And, as WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser explains, this lack of data makes it hard to know if efforts to protect people from extreme heat are working.
Miriam joins The Common to walk us through her reporting.
Miriam's story: https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/08/31/heat-waves-mortality-excess-deaths-climate-change
Greater Bosto
Plant care pro tips with Emerald City Plant Shop
The beginning of September is Boston's unofficial moving season, and settling into a new space isn't always a walk in the park. But one great way to make any house (or apartment, or studio... we know how it is) feel like home, is to add plants.
Today on The Common, we visit Emerald City Plant Shop, New England's first Black-owned specialty plant store, to learn how best to care for green life indoors, and to learn more about owner Quontay Turner's journey opening this Norwood-based business.
From the newsroom: How 2 Mass. doctors helped end discrimination against gay men in blood donation
Happy Labor Day, everyone. Team Common is taking the day to relax. We hope you are, too.
Today, we bring you a story from our friends in the WBUR newsroom.
This story comes from Senior Health Reporter, Priyanka Dayal McCluskey.
For decades, gay men were banned from donating blood in the U.S. based on fears that these donations would spread HIV. But this year, federal officials updated the guidelines.
Dr. Robbie Goldstein, who is the Massachusetts commissioner of public health, pushed
What to do this month: Three shows to kick off theater season
The end of summer is always bittersweet but it also ushers in one of our favorite times of year: Theater season. Assistant Director of CitySpace Candice Springer is back on The Common with three theatrical performances to enjoy during the month of September.
Candice recommends:
POTUS - Sept. 15 - Oct. 15: SpeakEasy Stage Company at the Calderwood Pavilion
https://www.bostontheatrescene.com/shows-and-events/potus/
Assassins - Sept. 15 - Oct. 15 at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston Theater
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Amid drama, two Boston city councilors seek re-election
Boston's preliminary municipal elections are September 12. Among the seats up for grabs are District Five and District Six, which are currently held by Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara, respectively. Both candidates have had their share of high profile drama this past year, and are heading into the election with multiple competitors.
Boston Globe Politics Reporter Emma Platoff joins The Common to discuss the outlook for Lara and Arroyo's campaigns, as well as what this coming election
Elizabeth Amador decodes government bureaucracy, one post at a time
Today on, The Common, a story about how social media can be used for good.
Elizabeth Amador is an activist and community leader who uses Instagram to help Spanish speaking residents navigate local government bureaucracy to get the help they need.
In her posts and livestreams, she answers questions about everything from obtaining rental and food assistance to getting a driver’s license for her audience of nearly 17,000 followers. And she does it all in her free time.
In today's episode, Elizab
What is missing from the POST police complaint database
Last week, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, or POST, finally released its new database of complaints against police officers in Massachusetts – a year after its deadline.
The release of the data is being called “a major milestone” in the effort to increase transparency and accountability in our state’s law enforcement system. But, as WBUR Senior Reporter Ally Jarmanning explains on today's episode, there is still a lot of information missing from the record.
Greater Bosto
From the newsroom: You can see the Milky Way from Nantucket. Residents want to keep it that way
It’s Monday, which means it’s time for us to bring you a story from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom.
When you think about pollution, you probably think of contamination in the air or water. But light pollution can impact the health of people and wildlife, too.
Today's story comes to us from WBUR Environmental Reporter, Paula Moura. She talked to one resident on Nantucket who made it her full time job to protect the island’s night skies. Her efforts led to the town passing a light pollu
Bigger, faster, more toxic: Poison ivy is thriving
Poison ivy seems to be booming, and researchers think climate change could be to blame. As carbon dioxide levels increase and temperatures warm, this toxic vine is not only getting bigger and growing faster, but the plant's oil, which causes allergic reactions in about 80% of the population, is becoming more plentiful and increasingly potent.
Today, WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common to discuss the troubling tie between human caused climate change and the
A reduced fare program for low income T riders inches closer to reality
The new $56 billion state budget earmarks $5 million to design and launch a reduced fare program for low income MBTA riders. The program could benefit an estimated 60,000 riders, but it's yet to be seen exactly what the plan will look like and, perhaps most importantly, when it will be available to qualifying riders.
WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common to walk us through this highly anticipated program, and what she's watching for going forward.
Read Andrea'
Fighting a loneliness epidemic, one connection at a time
In May, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory sounding the alarm on what he calls the “devastating impact of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States.”
A growing body of research ties loneliness to an increased risk of health conditions including heart disease, stroke, dementia and even premature death, making it, by many measures, a public health concern.
Today, WBUR Senior Health Reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common to talk about two B
Some hesitate to rely on the MBTA. That's a climate problem.
MBTA ridership still lags about 40% behind pre-pandemic levels, while car traffic has bounced back in-full. This is bad news for the climate, as experts say reducing driving is by far one of the fastest ways to reduce transportation emissions, which make up more than 30% of the state's total greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven joins The Common to discuss the MBTA service concerns holding some commuters back from taking the T when driving is an opt
From the newsroom: How a Mass. nonprofit helps ready students of color for top colleges
It’s Monday, which means it’s time for us to bring you a story from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom.
Today’s story comes from WBUR education reporter, Max Larkin.
Each summer, rising high school seniors known as THRIVE Scholars head to Amherst College for a six week program. They come from all over the country, and they’re all talented students from low income backgrounds who hope to attend a selective college or university.
Max headed out to Amherst to check out this year’s summer
So you're moving to Boston...
September 1 is just two weeks away, and so is the giant game of musical chairs that unfolds in the streets of Boston every year. Seven in 10 leases turn over on that day to make way for the tens of thousands of students who return to the city at the end of the summer. Between the traffic, trucking your worldly possessions across town and acclimating to a new neighborhood, move-in day can be an overwhelming time for anyone, particularly the un-initiated Bostonian.
So, today on The Common, WBUR
The emergency inside the Mass. family shelter system
Last week Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in the Massachusetts family shelter system, which has reached its capacity. The shortage of shelter and temporary housing available means that many unhoused families are being left without adequate support and resources.
WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common to explain Gov. Healey's declaration, which is calling on everyone from the federal government, to private citizens, to help families in need.
G
Gov. Healey's first budget invests in early education
Last week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a $56 billion state budget for the fiscal year of 2024. Included in that budget are several considerable investments in education in the state, from free lunches for K-12 students to free community college tuition for nursing students.
It also set aside a sum of about $1.5 billion to help stabilize Massachusetts' early education and childcare industry, which has been a huge financial stressor on parents and providers alike.
WBUR Education R
Why you can't go to the pool in Dorchester or Mattapan this summer
Earlier this month, a report from the Dorchester Reporter found that all six public pools in Dorchester and Mattapan are closed for maintenance this summer. The work ranges from long-anticipated projects, to unplanned repairs, that together make for a perfect storm that has residents wondering: "How was this allowed to happen?" Especially in two of the hottest, most underserved neighborhoods in the city.
WBUR General Assignment Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to talk about how city of
From the newsroom: Ex-curator sues Worcester Art Museum leaders, alleging discrimination and 'offensive behavior'
It’s Monday, which means we’re back with another story from our friends in the WBUR Newsroom while The Common works on some future projects.
Today's story is a quick but important one, and comes to us from WBUR Arts Reporter Cristela Guerra.
It’s about a former curator at the Worcester Art Museum, who is suing senior leadership at the museum, accusing them of discrimination.
WBUR Arts Reporter Cristela Guerra reports that according to the lawsuit, former curator Rachel Parikh was “mocked and
Boston emcee Edo.G on 50 years of hip-hop
August 11 marks 50 years of hip-hop, one of the most impactful cultural contributions of the last century. And while hip-hop was born in New York City, Boston's scene has been around since the early days, and continues strong today.
Edo.G has been part of the Boston hip-hop scene since the '80s, when he came on first as a dancer, and then as an emcee. He popped in the early '90s with an album he did with Da Bulldogs called “Life of a Kid in the Ghetto," and has released more than a dozen album
What to do this month: Music, eats and bad art
Assistant Director of WBUR CitySpace, Candice Springer is back on The Common with three free things to get you out of the house, and through these final weeks of August.
Candice recommends...
- GLD FSTVL - 8/12, 12:00 pm - 10: pm at City Hall Plaza
- Saint Anthony's Feast - 8/24-8/27 in Boston's North End
- The Museum of Bad Art - Open seven days a week at Dorchester Brewing Company
- Check out WBUR CitySpace's fall lineup of events, out now!
GLD FSTVL: https://www.boston.gov/calendar/g
Massachusetts farmers grapple with a changing climate
Last month's flooding in Western Massachusetts hit many farmers hard, but it wasn't the first unpredictable weather event of the year.
Today, WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Barbara Moran joins The Common to discuss how changes in weather patterns are impacting farmers, and what you can do to support local producers as they navigate a changing climate.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How one farm is doing after July floods in Western Mass.
It’s been almost a month since parts of Western Massachusetts were hit hard by extreme weather and flooding. The state’s Department of Agricultural Resources estimates that 110 farms were affected by the severe weather, and that related losses total $15 million.
Stone Soup Farm in Hadley, MA is among them.
About 80% of the 10-acre farm was flooded during the rains. Today, Dave DiLorenzo, owner of Stone Soup Farm, joins The Common to look back at the day his crops flooded, and to look ahead to
From the newsroom: Extremist watchdog explains New England white supremacists galvanized by Trump
We're back with another feature from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom as Team Common works on some longer term projects.
Today's story comes from WBUR Morning Edition's Rupa Shenoy and Laney Ruckstuhl.
Last week, Former President Donald Trump was indicted on four felony counts, all related to attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors say that Trump incited the January sixth violence at the capitol, which was lead by his supporters, including members of right-win
WBUR parents on keeping kids busy this summer
September and the first days of school are just around the corner. But there is still nearly a month of summer left for families with kids to pack in the warm weather activities.
So, today we’re turning the show over to the parents of WBUR to tell us how their kids have been making the most of summer vacation while it lasts. Also, they share how they are balancing all that fun in the sun with the practical and emotional complexities of parenting.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and
Mass. Behavioral Health Help Line, six months later
In January, Massachusetts launched the Behavioral Health Help Line. It's a key part of the state’s Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform project, and aims to provide a so-called “front door” to mental health care, connecting callers with both crisis and longer term resources.
Boston Globe Reporter Felice Freyer joins The Common to discuss the first six months of the system's rollout, its successes and where improvements are still needed.
If you or someone you know are in mental health crisis o
Feds are investigating legacy admissions at Harvard
Last week, the U.S. Education Department launched a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s legacy and donor admissions policies, which give preferential treatment to certain students who come from families of alumni or who donate to the school.
Researchers from Harvard and Brown also released a study, which finds that that students from the highest income 0.1% of American households are more than twice as likely to gain admission to highly selective or elite colleges and universit
The City of Boston made its first-ever mixtape
Some say the idea of a universal "song of the summer" is a thing of the past, but how about an entire mixtape? Six Boston area DJs and 17 local artists have joined forces with the City of Boston to create "Dear Summer Vol. 1" — the city's first-ever mixtape, and they want it to be your soundtrack to the summer.
DJ Chimel "ReaL P" Idiokitas is the executive producer and curator of "Dear Summer Vol. 1." He joins The Common to walk us through the mixtape and tells us what it takes to put together
From the newsroom: How heat alerts could help clinicians intervene for people at high risk
We're back with another feature from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom as Team Common works on some longer term projects.
Massachusetts had its first big heatwave of the year last week, and it likely won’t be the last. As extreme temperatures become more common, knowing how to navigate the heat's effects is important. Especially for certain groups, such as the elderly or people who work outdoors.
WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger brings us this report about a new pilot program that is testin
50 years of hip-hop on the big screen
August marks 50 years of hip-hop. It’s one of the most influential cultural movements of the last century, and one that far transcends music. It’s art, it’s fashion, it’s language, it’s community and… it's film.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline is celebrating the culture with a month-long film series called “Been Here For Years: Hip Hop at 50.” It starts August 1 and runs through the month.
Billy Thegenus, programming and outreach coordinator for the Coolidge Corner Theatre joins The C
Utilities could be using your payments for political influence
When you pay your monthly utility bills, you pay for a lot more than just the energy you use. You pay to build and maintain the infrastructure that gets the energy to your house. You pay for operating expenses, like employee salaries. You pay for the state's energy efficiency program.
And, you might also be helping fund your utility’s attempts to influence climate policy.
WBUR Senior Climate and Environmental Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common to talk about the various loopholes that enab
Hollywood strikes hit home in Massachusetts
Hollywood is on strike. The writers are on strike, the actors are on strike and it’s the first time in 60 years both groups are doing so simultaneously. They want better pay, regulations on the use of AI in TV and film and a variety of other ticket items. In the meantime, many productions have come to a halt, including here in Massachusetts — where more than 30 major productions were filmed just last year.
Nerissa Williams Scott is a faculty member at Emerson College and CEO and lead creative p
The NAACP National Convention is back in Boston
This week, people from all over the country are coming to Boston to participate in the 114th NAACP National Convention. The convention runs from July 26 through 31 and includes speakers such as Vice President Kamala Harris, rapper Meek Mill and Boston’s own Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space, Mariama White-Hammond.
There will also be workshops and social events, all aimed at fostering community and advocacy in Boston and across the country. Today, NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha
From the newsroom: A 'food forest' in Mattapan is a space to harvest food and grow community
We're back with a feature from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom as Team Common works on some longer term projects.
In May, a new park opened in Mattapan, and, get this… it’s edible. The Edgewater Food Forest is a quarter-acre park in Mattapan full of fruit trees, berry bushes and other edible plants. Anyone in the community can harvest food there, for free.
The park is a collaborative effort between neighborhood groups, the city, and the nonprofit “Boston Food Forest Coalition.” They’ve
MassDOT's new voice for accessibility
Earlier this month Governor Maura Healey appointed four new members to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors. One appointee is researcher, writer and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, who will represent the "consumer voice" for MassDOT.
Dr. Iezzoni is the first member of the disability community to serve on the department's board, despite the fact that that about one in four of American adults have some kind of disability.
Dr. Iezzoni
From the newsroom: Why '100% renewable electricity' plans may not be as green as you think
It’s time for another feature from our friends in the WBUR newsroom, while Team Common works on some longer term projects.
Earlier this year, we spoke with Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser about a series of stories she wrote on third party energy suppliers who promise consumers cleaner, cheaper electricity using deceptive marketing tactics.
We revisit the second part of her series, which explains how those 100% renewable energy plans advertised by competitive suppliers are
Migrant families can no longer stay at Boston Medical Center overnight... now what?
Boston Medical Center has ended a policy that had allowed unhoused families, many of whom were recently-arrived migrants, to stay at the hospital overnight. This decision follows a record increase in the number of people seeking shelter at local medical centers without medical needs. On one night earlier this month, more than 130 people slept on the floor of one of BMC's lobbies.
The hospital is now redirecting people to other facilities, including Logan airport, which is open around the clock,
SCOTUS student loan forgiveness ruling hits many Black borrowers hard
Late last month, the United States Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness program – a huge disappointment for thousands of borrowers who were hoping for some financial relief. The blow was particularly discouraging for Black borrowers, who typically hold $25k more in debt than white borrowers.
Tanisha Bhat, an intern with the Bay State Banner and a rising senior at Boston University, joins The Common to discuss how local Black borrowers are reacting to the
Flooding has rocked Vermont
Flooding in Vermont has lead to significant damage and left at least one person dead, as of Friday afternoon.
Economy Reporter for VTDigger, Fred Thys, has been covering flood impact in the state capitol of Montpelier, and he joins The Common for a closer look at how flooding is impacting Vermonters, in Montpelier and beyond.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Three indie theaters to cool off in this summer
Looking to catch an up-and-coming documentary or the hottest box office flick? Look no further than Greater Boston's handful of independent movie theaters. Spots like the Somerville Theatre in Somerville's Davis Square, Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline and Brattle Theatre in Cambridge offer one-of-a-kind screening environments and a chance to expand the viewing horizons of any cinephile.
WBUR Arts Contributor Erin Trahan joins The Common for a look at some of the area's top indie theaters,
Commuting without the Sumner Tunnel
The dreaded weeks-long Sumner Tunnel closure is finally upon us. The nearly 90-year-old connection between East Boston and Downtown closed to traffic on July 5th for $160 million worth of renovations – and it’s scheduled to stay that way until the end of August.
In the meantime, officials expect serious delays for travelers in the area and are urging folks to find other ways to get around.
The MBTA is offering free and reduced fares on several routes to help ease some of the pressure, includin
The "why" behind local beach closures
It's a hot day, and you're itching to cool off at the beach... but what if your local beach is closed? Last summer, there were more than 1,000 incidents of beach closures over 500 salt water beaches, despite Massachusetts having some of the cleanest urban beaches in the country. This year, more closures are appearing every week, especially following heavy rains.
Today, WBUR Senior Reporter Ally Jarmanning joins The Common to walk us through the major factors contributing to public beach closure
Boston City Council tensions continue
The Boston City Council continues to be steeped in tension after incidents involving two councilors brought what Council President Ed Flynn described as "negative attention to the institution," in a recent release.
Those incidents include Councilor Ricardo Arroyo admitting to an ethics violation after providing legal representation his brother, Felix Arroyo, in a sexual harassment case involving the city. The other incident includes Councilor Kendra Lara's recent involvement in a car crash in J
From the newsroom: A big, new Provincetown home for a nonprofit that provides LGBTQ+ youth a safe haven
We’re back with another feature from our friends in the WBUR newsroom, as Team Common works on some longer term projects we think you’ll enjoy.
Today’s story comes from reporter Arielle Gray. It’s about a nonprofit in Provincetown called Summer of Sass, which offers LGBTQ+ young adults from around the country a chance to spend the season in a safe, welcoming environment.
Summer of Sass recently moved into a house that will allow them to quadruple the number of folks they serve, so Arielle head
What To Do This Month in Greater Boston: Save your cash and hit the town
It's that time of the month again! Assistant director for WBUR CitySpace, Candice Springer, is back with a list of things to get you out of the house this month. And, guess what? They're all free.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
More bad news for would-be homebuyers
The median price for a single family home in Boston is now $900,000. The record-breaking figure is driven by a shortage of housing inventory, as well as a reduction in home turnover thanks to high interest rates.
WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to discuss how we got here, and what is at stake for communities when home ownership strays farther and farther out of reach for the average family.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
What we're reading this summer
Whether you're jet-setting, hitting your local beach, or just lounging in your backyard, summer is the perfect time to pick up a book. WBUR Associate Producer for Newsletters, and coauthor of the "Beach Books" newsletter Hanna Ali joins The Common with some of her top summer reads.
Hanna recommends...
"The Acrobat" by Edward J. Delaney
"My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings" edited by Zosia Mamet
"Little Weirds" by Jenny Slate
Looking for more summer reading recs? Subscribe to
The Common wishes you a happy July Fourth
Hey listeners,
Team Common is taking the holiday off to rest and recharge. But don’t worry – we’ll be back tomorrow with our regular show.
In the meantime, we hope you're having a good one. Also, our listener survey closes this week July 7. So if you haven't had the chance, please consider taking a few minutes to fill it out.
We want to know what you’re liking about the show so far and what you think could be better. This podcast is just as much yours as it is ours, so your feedback is an imp
From the newsroom: Reflections on a "normal" school year
We’re back with another piece from our friends in the WBUR newsroom while we at The Common work on some bigger projects we think you’ll enjoy.
Today’s story comes from WBUR Education Reporter Carrie Jung.
School is out for the summer but the 2022-2023 school year was much closer to normal than the last few during COVID. Carrie caught up with students and teachers from across the state to get their reflections on the past year.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A license to drive for Mass. immigrants
Starting July 1, Massachusetts immigrants can apply for a driver's license regardless of immigration status under the The Work and Family Mobility Act. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimates that up to 85,000 people could receive a drivers license under the new law by 2026.
WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common to break down the The Work and Family Mobility Act and the impact it will have on the day-to-day lives of drivers across the state.
Greate
The bees and butterflies need our help
Insects are disappearing at a concerning rate -- from 1% to 2% in many places, and up to 10% in others. Some of those insects are pollinators, which are key players in supporting 35% of our food supply. Today, those pollinators, like bees and butterflies, need our help.
WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common with more on the importance of pollinators, and a guide to what you can do to support pollinators in your own yard, garden, or even from your apart
A reckoning in restaurants, continued...
For the last several months The Common has been talking about the lack of accountability for harmful behavior from local chefs and restaurateurs, such as the allegations against Barbara Lynch, as well as comments made by Ming Tsai on WBUR's CitySpace stage.
Last month, CitySpace continued that conversation with a panel discussion called “A Reckoning in Restaurants: Combating Toxic Restaurant Culture.”
During the event, audience members submitted questions for the panel, which included Hassel A
A night out at the Roxbury International Film Festival
The Roxbury International Film Festival is celebrating its 25th year with a 10 day festival featuring over 80 films. The festival is designed around celebrating people of color, and creating an environment for filmmakers and film lovers to meet and experience one another's work.
Today on The Common, we take you on a trip to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston for an evening of screenings. We also speak with Lisa Simmons, the artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festiva
From the newsroom: the queer history of Boston's suffragettes
We’re back with another piece from our friends in the WBUR newsroom while we at The Common work on some bigger projects we think you’ll enjoy.
Today’s story comes from Rupa Shenoy and Laney Ruckstuhl at Morning Edition.
In honor of Pride Month (happy Pride) Rupa and Laney wanted to remember some of the queer people in Massachusetts history who have been overlooked. So, Rupa sat down with author Wendy Rouse, who wrote "Public Spaces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Suffrage Movement, whic
BAMS Fest: A celebration of Black culture in Boston
The Boston Art and Music Soul Festival is here, bringing music, art, food, and other celebrations of Black culture to Boston's Franklin Park this Friday and Saturday (June 23 and 24), for the fifth year.
WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common, to talk about the importance of creating dedicated spaces to celebrate Black music and art in Boston, the unique challenges faced by organizers of events such as BAMS Fest that highlight hip-hop and other forms of Black expression, and for a preview
A new avenue for public housing
In 1999, Congress passed a law, known as the "Faircloth Amendment," which restricted the construction of federally subsidized public housing above a certain limit. Now, there's a new initiative that aims to increase the amount of public housing available by backfilling many units that have been demolished or fallen into disrepair.
In Massachusetts, Cambridge is leading the charge, with active plans to develop more than 100 new public housing units. The local housing authority hopes to develop e
Why Boston doesn't have any Michelin Star restaurants
Boston's food scene continues to change and grow, but one thing remains the same: the complete absence of prestigious Michelin Stars awarded to local restaurants. And it's not necessarily because our local spots don't deserve them.
Erika Adams, Editor of Eater Boston joins The Common for a look at why Boston remains without a Michelin Guide.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
Your Boston summer arts guide(s)
Looking to expand your horizons this summer with a little art? Or perhaps escape the hot outdoors with a theatrical performance? Or maybe you're just looking for that perfect addition to your summer playlist. Whatever your situation may be, WBUR's Arts and Culture team has you covered with this year's summer arts guides. WBUR Arts Reporting Fellow Solon Kelleher joins The Common with the highlights.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: Boston City Hall in need of repair
Happy Juneteenth! We hope you’re taking some time to celebrate and reflect on this important day.
The WBUR newsroom covers a lot of stories, and we aren't always able to get to them all on the show. So, today we're bringing you one of those pieces while Team Common works on some reporting we're really excited to share with you soon.
Today’s story comes from reporter Walter Wuthmann.
Boston’s City Hall building is pretty polarizing. Some love it, but not everyone is into 1960s Brutalist archi
Your Juneteenth weekend guide
It's almost Juneteenth, and you know that means it's time to get out on the town to learn, celebrate and reflect. WBUR Arts Editor Lauren Williams joins The Common to walk us through four events happening in Boston, and beyond, over this long weekend to celebrate this important day.
Celebrate Juneteenth with Cornell Coley: Saturday, June 17 - the Honan-Allston branch of the Boston Public Library
Juneteenth at Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters: Sunday, June 18 - Longfellow House in Cam
Calling all prospective biotech workers...
Boston's life sciences sector is growing rapidly, with more than 6,000 jobs expected to open up over the next decade, according to a report from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation. But as the number of available jobs grow, so do concerns about developing and attaining enough talent to fill positions.
WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to explain what's behind this disparity between open jobs and qualified workers in biotech, and for a look at a ne
A college town without affirmative action
The Supreme Court of the United States is expected to deliver decisions on two cases concerning affirmative action in college admissions, including one case involving Harvard, in the coming weeks. The conservative-leaning court is anticipated to rule against the race-conscious admission practices used by elite schools like Harvard to promote a diversified student body, which the plaintiffs in each case argue are racially discriminatory.
MassLive Reporting Fellow Alvin Buyinza joins The Common t
Pride for the People
Boston’s Pride Parade has been on hiatus since 2019, after being canceled due to the pandemic, and then again after calls for more diversity and inclusion led to the event’s organizers disbanding. The city’s re-imagined pride celebration, organized by Boston Pride for the People, took to the streets on Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of participants.
WBUR’s Walter Wuthmann covered the event. He joins The Common to share thoughts and reactions from this years attendees and organizers.
Grea
From the newsroom: An addiction treatment program closes in Concord
The WBUR newsroom covers a lot of stories, and we aren't always able to get to them all on the show. So, today we're bringing you one of those pieces while Team Common works on some reporting we're really excited to share with you soon.
Today's piece comes from reporter Lynn Jolicoeur. It’s about the shutdown of a hospital-run program that treats people with addiction in an area one person calls a treatment desert. This news comes as Massachusetts continues to experience an opioid epidemic.
Gr
A new kind of Seaport supper club
Grace by Nia, which opened late last month, is a new restaurant and music club in Boston's predominantly white Seaport neighborhood. But unlike many of its neighbors, Grace by Nia, owned by Nia Grace of Darryl's Corner Bar and Kitchen, aims to cater specifically to the experiences of guests of color.
Today on The Common, we take you to Grace by Nia and talk with owner Nia Grace about her vision for the businesses and the new energy it brings to the neighborhood.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast
Puppies on patios
It's a hot dog summer, y'all. More than 20 businesses (and counting) are taking advantage of a new city initiative that allows qualifying restaurants, bars and beer gardens to welcome dogs to their outdoor dining and drinking spaces.
Emily Schario, head of content for The B-Side joins The Common to walk us through the dos and don'ts of pup patio etiquette, and for the lowdown on some of the participating establishments.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.
A message from host, Darryl C. Murphy
We’ve been making The Common every day since November, and it’s been a privilege to bring you stories from Greater Boston five days a week. Now, we want your story. Knowing our audience helps us serve our audience. And, it helps us get support for the show. So, it would mean the world to us if you would take a moment to fill out this quick survey: wbur.org/survey
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Yep, the Mass. legislature is slower than usual
Massachusetts lawmakers and Governor Maura Healey have only passed 12 new laws in the past five months – the fewest by this point in the legislative session in decades. By comparison, Charlie Baker signed nearly 30 bills by June during his first year and Deval Patrick signed 44 bills into law in the same time period. Boston Globe Politics Reporter Matt Stout joins The Common to discuss what is behind the slow progress, as well as what it means for Maura Healey's goals as governor.
Greater Bost
We need to build housing fast. Factories could help
As the housing crisis continues in Massachusetts, developers in states like Pennsylvania, California and neighboring New Hampshire are leaning on factory-made construction to make new housing, and make it fast. With this method, entire portions of buildings are made in a factory, off-site and shipped to the construction site to be pieced together into one cohesive building, like a giant game of Legos.
The efficiency of factory-made construction means a building project can be completed in about
Not-so-standardized testing
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, also known as MCAS, has been the standard for state testing in MA for 25 years. Yet, some advocates and educators worry that this testing system is leaving some students behind, especially as the number of English language learners continues to grow in public schools.
WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin joins The Common to talk about a group of school districts that are trying out a more immersive, collaborative method for evaluation, and broade
What to do this month: Dancing in the street
We finally made it to June and it is time to get outside and par-tay. WBUR Assistant Director of City Space Candice Springer joins The Common with a list of ways to have fun in the sun this month.
Candice recommends...
Boston Pride For The People, June 10
Donna Summer Disco Party, June 16
Boston Art and Soul Music Festival (BAMS Fest), June 23-24
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Oral birth control's birthplace
Drug regulators are currently considering whether to make birth control pills available over the counter in the U.S.. If approved, this increase in accessibility would be a significant new chapter in the medication’s history, which can be traced back to Massachusetts, where it was first developed.
WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emmanuel joins The Common to discuss the origins of oral birth control in Massachusetts and how that history informs the current movement to expand bi
Tracking hate in the Bay State
A new report from the Anti-Defamation League shows an increase in acts of hate including antisemitism and an increase in the distribution of white supremacist propaganda in Massachusetts. The data covers 2021 and 2022.
Interim Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League of New England, Peggy Shukur, joins The Common to discuss the report's findings, and what they can tell us about political and social sentiments in the state and beyond.
Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and cultur
Radioactive waste and Cape Cod Bay continued...
The company in charge of decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth has proposed treating and diluting more than one million gallons of radiation-contaminated wastewater, and releasing it into Cape Cod Bay. But recently released state data detailing the high levels of radiation in the untreated wastewater has some worried that the wastewater, even once treated, may still pose threats.
WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to walk us through t
From the newsroom: How H1-B visas could help districts fight a teacher shortage
We hope you all are having a great Memorial Day Weekend! Team Common is taking the day off to rest and rejuvenate. So in place of our regular show, we bring you a feature from the WBUR newsroom.
___________________________________________________________________________
With summer vacation right around the corner, it's a busy time Massachusetts School Districts, who are working to fill all their open teacher positions for the coming year. And with the ongoing teacher shortage, the odds are no
A new district map for Boston
Boston City Council has finally agreed on a new district map for the city after a month of heated negotiation, narrowly avoiding potential delays to this years’ election.
This is the second time in the past year the council was faced with redrawing the city's nine districts, from which they are elected. This comes after a federal judge barred the city from using the previously approved map in early May.
Boston Globe Politics Reporter Emma Platoff joins The Common to discuss the background behi
Allergy season sucks, and climate change is making it worse
How many times have you sneezed today? It's allergy season, and, like with so many things that suck, climate change is making it worse.
Dr. Gaurab Basu, Health Equity Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, joins The Common to explain the connection between climate change and allergies, and what you can do to mitigate your symptoms as the season continues.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
It's Senate budget season on Beacon Hill
This week, the Massachusetts State Senate begins debate on their 2024 budget, with plans to finalize a proposal by the end of the week. And while it's easy to think of a budget as an overwhelming sheet of dollar signs, on Beacon Hill, a budget is a moral document that can tell you a lot about what your elected representatives are prioritizing, and what they're not.
Boston Globe Political Reporter Samantha J. Gross joins The Common to walk us through how the Senate plans to spend your tax dollar
This weekend at Boston Calling
Boston Calling returns to the Harvard Athletic Complex this weekend with a packed lineup of national and local acts. This year's ticket includes over 50% female and non-binary performers, a first for the festival, however racial diversity still lag behind. WBUR Newsroom Fellow Jacob Garcia joins The Common to discuss diversity and inclusion at one of Boston's largest cultural events, and to preview some favorite hometown artists.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins resigns
Late last week, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins submitted her resignation to President Joe Biden, just a year-and-a-half into her appointment.
Her resignation follows the release of two investigations, detailing numerous allegations against Rollins, including that she used her federal position to influence a local election in Suffolk County.
WBUR Senior Correspondent Deborah Becker joins The Common with more.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Introducing: The Common's official theme
If you're a regular listener of The Common, you might have noticed something different about our show this week. We have a new theme song! Our new music is "ME - Band Version" by singer-songwriter and producer HEESU, a Berklee College of Music alum and WBUR's local Tiny Desk favorite of 2021. HEESU joins The Common to talk about her music, influences and experiences studying music in Boston.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Cannabis in Mass: Delivery straight to your doorstep with Rolling Releaf
Since its state legalization in 2016, cannabis has become a multi-billion dollar industry that helps fuel the Massachusetts economy and tax revenue, while also providing opportunities to address racial equity. Still, despite its popularity, cannabis is heavily regulated and the negative stigma around the drug lingers.
Today on The Common, we take you to Newton, where Devin Alexander is CEO and cofounder of Rolling Releaf, the first cannabis delivery business in the city. We talk to Devin, who w
Cannabis in Mass: Increasing equity in the industry
Since its state legalization in 2016, cannabis has become a multi-billion dollar industry that helps fuel the Massachusetts economy and tax revenue, while also providing opportunities to address racial equity. Still, despite its popularity, cannabis is heavily regulated and the negative stigma around the drug lingers.
Today on The Common, the second part of our three-part discussion about cannabis in Massachusetts. Cannabis entrepreneur, attorney and Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board member
Cannabis in Mass: A market on the brink
Since its state legalization in 2016, cannabis has become a multi-billion dollar industry that helps fuel the Massachusetts economy and tax revenue, while also providing opportunities to address racial equity. Still, despite its popularity, cannabis is heavily regulated and the negative stigma around the drug lingers.
Today on The Common, it's the first of a three-part discussion about the state of cannabis in Massachusetts. We speak with Freelance Cannabis and Drug Policy Reporter Dan Adams ab
These two parts of Boston have a 23 year difference in life expectancy
In a section of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, residents have a life expectancy of nearly 92. Travel just two miles away to Roxbury's Nubian Square, and the life expectancy for area Bostonians drops below 69. That's a stark, 23 year difference.
These findings come from a new Boston Public Health Commission report. Today, WBUR Reporter Martha Bebinger joins The Common to walk through some of the startling findings from this analysis, and for a look at some of the factors that contribute to this
Running while Black in Boston
Boston is known as a runner's city. But last month, running groups with predominantly Black membership, including Pioneers Run Crew and TrailblazHers, reported being targeted by police while spectating the Boston Marathon.
In light of this event, and as the weather warms up and brings runners outside, Jeff Davis, founder of another running group for Black runners, Black Men Run Boston, joins The Common.
Black Men Run Boston is the local chapter of the national Black Men Run organization, which
$500 in your pocket – no strings attached
Some families in Cambridge will soon be eligible to receive $500, each month, for 18 months, no strings attached. It's the product of a new program called Rise Up Cambridge, which seeks to partially address poverty through direct income payments.
WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to walk us through this program, and where it fits into a broader, national movement in support of guaranteed income.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Goodbye, COVID Emergency
It's been more than three years since the coronavirus state of emergency was first put in place. It finally ends on May 11th. WBUR Senior Health Reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common to help us understand this new phase of the pandemic and what this change means for remaining COVID measures.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Sorry, your gas stove really is bad for you
No, the government is not coming for your gas stove. At least not this second. But your stove could have implications for the health of your household (gas stoves are the top trigger for pediatric asthma in the state, for example), as well as our environment. WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to discuss alternatives, as well as safety tips, for cooking with gas.
Editor's note: A previous version of the audio portion of this story incorrectly stated the nu
That door-to-door promise of cheaper electricity might not hold up
Have you ever had someone knock on your door, ask to see your electric bill and then promise you a better deal? There's a good chance this was a competitive energy supplier, and this so-called "deal" may cost you in the long run.
Today, WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common to take us through the first piece in her three-part series looking into competitive electric suppliers and the vulnerable communities they harm the most.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcas
What to do this month: April showers bring May musicals
It's May, which, according to assistant director for WBUR CitySpace Candice Springer, is the perfect time to catch a musical.
Today on The Common, Candice joins the show with some of her top theatrical picks for the month of May.
Candice recommends...
Bettlejuice: Citizen Bank Opera House, May 2nd - May 14
The Prom: Speakeasy Stage Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, May 5th - June 10th
Evita: American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, May 17th - July 16th
Greater Boston’s we
The show goes on post-pandemic
Three years ago, the coronavirus pandemic brought Boston's theater scene to a screeching halt. Venues are now welcoming back audiences for performances, but as WBUR Arts and Culture Reporter Amelia Mason reports, business is far from usual. Amelia joins The Common to discuss how COVID-19 has changed Boston's theater scene as a part of WBUR Arts' four part series on arts after the pandemic.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Boston's expensive, and Gen Z is feeling the heat
People in their twenties make up one-fifth of Boston's population, but some of these young people are struggling to make it in the city as the cost of living soars.
Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli talked to more than two dozen Gen Z residents living in Boston to learn what financial concerns are making them question their future in the city. Today, she joins The Common to walk through the impact of debt, economic uncertainty and other money woes that are top of mind for Boston's under-25 crowd
How Upham's Corner reduced poverty without displacing residents
A study from Common Good Labs, a data science firm based out of Pittsburg, and the Brookings Institution has identified nearly 200 neighborhoods across the country that have done the seemingly impossible: Increase neighborhood wealth, without pushing out the original residents. One of those neighborhoods is Boston's very own Upham's Corner in Dorchester.
Common Good Labs partner Rohit Acharya joins The Common to break down how Upham's Corner did it, and how the neighborhood can be used as a mod
The MBTA's pension problem
The MBTA is facing yet another financial challenge, this time in the form of its pension program. According to an arbitration document obtained by WBUR, at its current trajectory, pension expenses could make the agency 'insolvent' by 2038. WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common explore how the MBTA got to this point, and what this could mean for its financial future.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Preventing drink spiking in Boston bars
Boston police received 116 reports of drink spiking in Boston last year. The alarming uptick in reports has continued into 2023, with BPD publishing a community alert on the issue last week. Casey Corcoran, senior director of prevention outreach and education at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), joins The Common to share tips on how to prevent drink spiking in bars and other establishments.
Producer's note: Survivors of sexual assault can find resources with the Boston Area Rape Cris
Translation services at Brockton Schools
Nearly half of all students in Brockton Public Schools speak a language other than English at home. The district's Multilingual Parent Communication Center is working to make translation and interpretation services more accessible to families who don't speak English as a first language by centralizing services, and offering support both within and beyond the school system.
WBUR Senior Education Reporter Carrie Jung joins The Common with more on Brockton Public School's efforts to support immigr
The landlords, homeowners and renters of the state legislature
Boston's rent control proposal needs approval from the Massachusetts State Legislature in order to become local law. A new report from The Boston Globe looks into the property holdings of the lawmakers who will be responsible for making this decision, in both the house and the senate, to gain an understanding of how many legislators rent, versus own their home, and how many are landlords.
The Globe finds that about 86% of the state legislature owns homes, compared to only 61% of the state popul
A reckoning at Barbara Lynch restaurants
Former employees of establishments owned by local celebrity chef Barbara Lynch are stepping forward, accusing Lynch of creating a toxic workplace. The allegations against Lynch, who owns businesses including No. 9 Park, The Butcher Shop and Seaport-based bar, Drink, include lashing out at staff and guests, unwanted touching and threats of violence. Boston Globe Business Enterprise Reporter Janelle Nanos joins The Common to discuss the allegations and where they fit into the larger conversation a
From the Newsroom: Simone Leigh's work at the ICA is an ode to Black womanhood
The Common team is taking the day to rest and rejuvenate after a very busy few weeks (did you catch our special climate series last week? If not, listen back!) so today, we bring you a feature from the WBUR newsroom.
It’s from reporter Arielle Gray and it’s about the work of renowned artist Simone Leigh, who explores Black womanhood through the use of clay, bronze and ceramics.
Last year, Leigh became the first Black woman to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale, which is one of the large
Climate Now: Giving back this Earth Day
It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now.
Today we wrap up our week-long series with some ways you can get involved and give back to our planet this Earth Day, and beyond, with Sara Winslow, education associate at the Museum of Science's Current Science Communication Department.
Head to WBUR
Climate Now: Heat in the South End
It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now.
Today's destination: Boston's South End
The entire city of Boston is a heat island, but some parts of the city, including the South End, can get particularly hot on high-temperature days. Today on The Common, we head to the South End to get a better
Climate Now: The neighbors of Crane Ledge Woods
It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now.
Today's destination: Crane Ledge Woods
Today, The Common heads to Hyde Park in Boston, where a coalition of residents are fighting to preserve a property known as Crane Ledge Woods. The 24 acre parcel is the largest unprotected wild in Boston, and i
Climate Now: Erosion and the Boston Harbor Islands
Perhaps you've seen some of the 30 Boston Harbor Islands from an airplane window, descending into Logan Airport. Or maybe you've visited one of the more popular islands on a weekend day trip from downtown Boston. This archipelago is made up of piles of deposited material, sculpted by melting and retreating glaciers, known as drumlins, and is one of the few drowned drumlin fields in the world. It's a unique environment ripe for outdoor recreation, and holds irreplaceable Indigenous creations and
Climate Now: Powering Chinatown's energy resilience
It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now.
Today's destination: Chinatown.
In Boston's Chinatown, you don’t have to look far to see how climate change is already affecting the lives of residents. The neighborhood is one of the city’s worst heat islands, and it has the highest levels of air pollution
Ten Years Later: Boston Marathon medical volunteers find 'family' after bombings
Medical professionals volunteering at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 found themselves tending not only to tired runners, but also to victims of the two bombs that exploded that day.
For the first time since that tragic event, those first responders are talking openly about their experiences, the strong bonds that were forged there a decade ago, and the healing that's happened since.
As we remember the Boston Marathon bombings, WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger joins The Common to share stor
Ten Years Later: The Boston Marathon bombings and mental health
Nearly a decade has passed since the Boston Marathon bombings. This year, many will pause to reflect on the three lives lost that day and the dozens of others who were physically injured.
But the trauma didn't not stop there. As runners prepare to hit the road on Monday, The Common speaks with WBUR senior correspondent Deborah Becker about the psychological damage left in the wake of the attacks, and experts' recommendations for self-care.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture
Massachusetts is stocking up on abortion pills
Massachusetts is taking steps to ensure continued access to mifepristone, a common abortion medication following a ruling from a federal judge in Texas, which aims to block access to the drug. The Justice Department has appealed this order.
Earlier this week, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the University of Massachusetts Amherst has secured roughly 15,000 doses of the drug, at the request of the governor, to create stockpiles of the drug in state. The governor also issued an executive order c
Lowell's teacher population lacks diversity. This program wants to change that.
Nearly 9 out of 10 teachers in Massachusetts public schools are white, despite students of color making up roughly 44% of the student population. In Lowell, the state's sixth largest school district, the disparity is even more stark.
A new program aims to change this, by encouraging students of color to pursue careers in teaching through a partnership between Lowell Public Schools and the University of Massachusetts - Lowell.
WBUR education reporter Samuele Petruccelli speaks with The Common a
What's next for Boston's rent control proposal
In March, Boston's City Council voted 11-2 in support of a rent control plan proposed by Mayor Michelle Wu. The plan would cap rent increases at 10% for apartments in Boston, with some exceptions.
Now that the proposal has been approved by the city, it faces an uphill climb in the Massachusetts legislature as it seeks to become law. WBUR Senior Statehouse Reporter Steve Brown joins The Common to discuss the path forward for Boston's rent control proposal on Beacon Hill.
Greater Boston’s weekl
It's April. Time to hit the town.
Spring is officially here, which means it's time to ditch the cabin fever, get out and revel in all the live events going on this month in Boston. WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director Candice Springer joins The Common to share her top local events to enjoy in April.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Here's what a growing Black population looks like
The Black population in Greater Boston continues to grow, especially in communities outside of the city, and it's becoming one of the most diverse Black populations of any metro area in the nation. This is according to a new report from Boston Indicators and Embrace Boston titled, Great Migration to Global Immigration: A Profile of Black Boston, which is out today.
Report co-author James Jennings joins The Common for a deeper look at how the region's Black population continues to grow and chang
America's opaque parole system
Crime and justice. Punishment and redemption. When it comes to even the most extreme crimes, how much prison time is enough?
Marshall Project reporter Beth Schwartzapfel speaks with The Common about Violation, a new podcast from WBUR and The Marshall Project, which explores the nation's parole system, and the stories of the people entangled in it.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Remembering Boston's Mel King
Last Tuesday, the city lost a giant. Activist, former politician and proud son of the South End, Mel King, died at the age of 94. King fought for working class people in the streets and on Beacon Hill, and he was the first Black candidate to make it to the general election in a race to be Boston’s mayor.
Local writer and historian Dart Adams joins The Common to remember Mel King, and for a look at his ongoing legacy.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Radioactive waste and Cape Cod Bay
For the last year or so, the company in charge of cleaning up the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth has been slowly moving ahead with its plans to discharge contaminated wastewater from the plant into Cape Cod Bay. But recently, opposition from area residents, activists and politicians has been heating up.
WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to share some updates on the decommissioning process, and the state and public's attempt to find o
Your guide to the freshest art in Boston this spring
Does the coming of spring put you in the mood to see a play? How about a film? Maybe a dance performance? You want to get out and explore the freshest art blooming in the Boston arts scene, but you're not sure where to start?
Look no further than WBUR's Spring Art Guides, covering theatre, film festivals, art exhibitions, classical music, books, dance, and albums.
WBUR Arts Editor Lauren Williams joins The Common to discuss some highlights from the art guides, and offers her recommendations fo
MBTA's next stop: Phillip Eng
The wait for a new MBTA general manager is finally over. Governor Maura Healy announced Monday that Phillip Eng will take over the T, bringing with him four decades of transit experience in New York. WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common to discuss what's ahead for Eng as he works to restore rider trust in a transit agency that has been ridden with service and safety issues in recent years.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Pay attention to that blue envelope in your mailbox
The state is rechecking the eligibility of all 2.3 million Bay Staters who receive insurance through MassHealth, as the federal COVID emergency winds down. Hundreds of thousands are expected to lose eligibility for MassHealth, meaning folks will need to find alternative health insurance coverage.
WBUR Senior Health Reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common to walk us through this process, which, for many, will start with receiving a certain blue envelope in the mail.
Greater Boston’s
By bus, it’s a hike to the Blue Hills
A new study from the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Agency finds stark inequities in access to the Blue Hills Reservation for public transit-reliant residents. According to the study, called Unlocking the Blue Hills: Addressing Equity and Access in the Blue Hills Reservation, a bus ride to the Blue Hills from neighborhoods just a few miles alway can take well over an hour, and include multiple transfers.
Sean Rourke, manager of communications & engagement at the Boston MPO, joins The Comm
A chemical fire in Braintree
In February, some chemical waste in a tractor trailer spontaneously combusted at a Clean Harbors hazardous waste disposal center in Braintree. By the time the fire was put out, three trailers of chemical waste had burned. Today, the impacts of this incident still aren’t fully known.
WBUR Senior Climate and Environment reporter, Miriam Wasser joins The Common to walk us through this incident and what it could mean for residents of Braintree and beyond.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where new
Five restaurants to try this Women's History Month
It's Women's History Month. It's also the final days of Dine Out Boston, a two-week event that highlights local restaurants, and encourages people to explore the city’s dining scene.
Editor of Eater Boston, Erika Adams join The Common to walk us through five must-try, women-owned restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, some of which are participating in Dine Out Boston, and for a conversation about the importance of supporting women-owned eateries.
Erika's Five-to-try:
Trade: Downtown Boston, ow
Asian American students feel overlooked, report finds
A new report commissioned by members of the Massachusetts Asian American Educators Association finds that Asian American students in Boston Public High Schools are more likely to report feeling an absence of belonging, and a lack of interest from teachers as compared to Black, Latino or white students.
Go Sasaki is a co-author of the report “Truth from Youth: The Asian American Experience in BPS High Schools” and a former BPS educator. He joins The Common for a deeper look at the report's findi
Required MBTA housing law is, well, required
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has announced that cities and towns must comply with the new MBTA Communities law, which requires municipalities to zone for multi-family housing near public transit access points. This comes after several municipalities have resisted the changes. Boston Globe Business Correspondent Andrew Brinker joins The Common to break it down.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Workers' rights in Boston restaurants
Stavros Papantoniadis, the owner of the Dorchester pizza joint Stash’s, was arrested last week under disturbing allegations of abuse towards his undocumented workers. He’s also charged with one account of forced labor in federal court.
The allegations at Stash’s are extreme. But worker mistreatment is more common than one might think. Pablo Carrasco is an attorney for Justice At Work, a Boston-based advocacy organization that offers support to low-wage workers. He joins The Common to talk about
The EPA wants to limit your PFAS intake
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new guidelines regulating the presence of PFAS in municipal water systems. The proposal would require all U.S. cities to test for, and limit, the levels of six PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common for a deeper look at these proposed limitations, and what they mean for your drinking water, and possibly your water bill, here in Massachusetts.
Greater Boston’s weekl
Catch some tunes this St. Paddy's Day
Looking for a fun St. Patrick's Day activity? We've got you covered. Club Passim Marketing Manager and Boston Celtic Music Festival Director Summer McCall joins The Common to give a rundown of the best places to catch live Celtic music in Boston during St. Patrick's Day weekend.
Check out Summer's full list of recommendations at WBUR.org
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Increasing accountability in Boston's restaurant scene
Earlier this week, local chef and James Beard Leadership Award winner Irene Li posted an Instagram Reel featuring a number of controversial comments made by celebrity chef Ming Tsai during a talk at WBUR CitySpace (moderated by Li). Today, Li joins The Common to move the conversation forward, with a broader discussion about culture and accountability in Boston's restaurant industry.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The Common introduces Violation, a new podcast about who pulls the levers of power in the justice system
We want to share a first listen of a new podcast we're working on at WBUR.
Violation tells the story of two families bound together by an unthinkable crime. It explores America's opaque parole system and asks: How much time in prison is enough? Who gets to decide? And, when someone commits a terrible crime, what does redemption look like?
Listen to the trailer and if you like what you hear, head over to the Violation feed wherever you get your podcasts and hit subscribe so you'll get new episo
The fight over trans kids in New Hampshire
New Hampshire lawmakers are currently considering a number of bills that aim to restrict the rights of LGBTQ students and young people, particularly trans kids. GLAD attorney Chris Erchull joins The Common to tell us more about this legislation and what it could mean for LGBTQ youth in New Hampshire and their families.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The debate over court-ordered mental health care
Massachusetts lawmakers will soon consider a bill that would make it legal for someone to be committed to outpatient mental health treatment under court order. It's often called assisted outpatient treatment, and Massachusetts is one of only three states that doesn't have a law supporting it on the books.
This type of court-ordered program has sparked fierce debate among mental health advocates in the state, with many standing in opposition. WBUR Reporter Deborah Becker joins The Common to disc
Boston City Council gives rent control the thumbs-up
The Boston City Council has voted overwhelmingly in favor of Mayor Michelle Wu's rent control proposal, which aims to cap rent increases in the city. While the proposal has cleared the council, rent control is currently banned in Massachusetts, meaning the proposal will require approval from Beacon Hill in order to take effect.
WBUR Reporter Yasmin Amer joins The Common to break down the council's vote, and for a look at other early pushes for rent control in the Boston Area.
Greater Boston’
Night at the museum
If you've been meaning to visit more of Boston's great museums, March may be the perfect month to do so. Whether you're into contemporary dance, searching for some cooking inspiration, or just looking for a chance to learn something new, we've got you covered.
Assistant director for WBUR CitySpace, Candice Springer joins The Common to walk us through some of the best special events happening in Boston's museum scene this month.
Candice recommends...
Global Arts Live presents Gibney Company
A fender-bender at Logan Airport
Boston Logan Airport has been in the headlines several times in recent weeks due to a number of mishaps including an averted plane collision and a fender-bender between grounded aircraft. WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common to tell us more about these incidents and related investigations.
Editor's Note: A previous iteration of the audio version of this episode misstated the number of runway hotspots at the Austin airport. The episode has been corrected. We reg
Yes, this winter is weird
Missing the snow? You're not alone. People and wildlife alike are feeling the impact of a warmer, less-snowy winter.
WBUR reporter Simón Rios joins The Common to discuss what this season's weather patterns tell us about our changing climate and what winters may look like in Boston going forward.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A court order, Boston Schools, and the right to monitor
A civil rights organization claims they're being barred from monitoring how Boston Public Schools spends certain funds to support students who are English language learners, despite a decades-old federal court order that gives them permission to do so. BPS maintains that they're in compliance.
Mandy McLaren, a reporter for the Boston Globe's Great Divide team, which looks into educational inequality in Boston and beyond, joins The Common to walk us through what's known about this conflict, and
Comrade Cafe
In the past several years there has been a push among food service workers locally and nationally to unionize their workplaces. Recent local examples include three associated cafes in Somerville (Diesel Café, Bloc Café and Forge Baking Company), which reached a contract with their employer in February, as well as the Harvard Square location of Milk Bar, which closed shortly after workers there voted to unionize. Boston Globe Business Reporter Diti Kohli joins The Common to discuss the surge in u
Fixing things is on the menu at the Repair Cafe
You know that broken thing you have sitting in your closet that you just don't have the heart to throw away? It could be a broken lamp, a dead watch or a pair of scissors that's a little dull. Well, chances are there's a helpful neighbor nearby who would love to fix it up for you at one of the region's Repair Cafes. WBUR's Martha Bebinger joins The Common with more on the Repair Cafe movement and the folks behind it.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Why you probably can't buy a house in Boston
Which neighborhood should you visit, if you're looking to buy a relatively affordable home in Boston? Unless you're ready to drop a big chunk of change... none of them. It's an extremely challenging time to enter the housing market in Greater Boston, and there are a lot of reasons why.
Business correspondent for the Boston Globe, Andrew Brinker joins The Common for a look at the factors contributing to Boston's challenging housing market, which disproportionately impacts Black and Latino reside
Inside a protected wetland, a landfill nears capacity
Rumney Marsh is a protected wetland in Saugus. It's also home to a landfill that's close to reaching its 50-foot height capacity. While activists say it's about time to lock down the landfill, the operator of the facility, WIN Waste, wants to expand landfill capacity, regardless of state regulations.
WBUR's Paula Moura joins The Common with more.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A poet and a saxophonist walk into a lounge
Tucked underneath the bustling Cambridge Common restaurant near Porter Square is the Lizard Lounge, a longtime gathering place for Greater Boston's poetry scene. Since 1998, the venue has hosted a weekly event that combines curated poetry performance with live, improvisational jazz. The venue just celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the retirement of Jeff Robinson, the leader behind the musical stylings that accompany this iconic poetry night.
WBUR's Cristela Guerra joins The Common for more o
Governor Healey's first state budget
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is announcing her first budget recommendations this week. WBUR's Senior State House Reporter Steve Brown joins The Common to break down some of Governor Healey's biggest budget priorities this year.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Restoring a piece of Boston's Black history
The League of Women for Community Service is Boston's oldest Black women-led organization. Founded in 1920, the League provided a safe space and numerous services to Boston's Black community throughout the 20th century. WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to tell us more about this piece of Boston's Black history and the effort to restore its original building.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The workers waiting in the wings
Haitian migrants landing in Massachusetts are waiting months to years for documentation that will allow them to legally work in the U.S. Meanwhile, worker shortages continue to plague industries from construction to school transportation. Seth Daniel, news editor for the Dorchester Reporter, joins The Common to discuss how this backlog is impacting Haitian immigrants locally and the Boston community at large.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The search for Reina Morales Rojas
Reina Morales Rojas, a recent immigrant and resident of East Boston, has been missing for three months. It took Boston police more than six weeks to announce her case and it has received little public attention since. Boston Globe Associate Editor and Columnist Marcela Garcia has been following the story, she joined us to tell us more about Reina and how her case was overlooked for so long.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Rethinking home ownership in Chinatown
Housing prices in Boston's Chinatown have been surging for decades, resulting in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the city. That's why housing advocates with the Chinatown Community Land Trust have turned to an alternative model for home ownership that helps working-class and immigrant residents stay in the neighborhood.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: For EVs to take off, Boston needs more equitable placement of chargers
Team Common is taking the day off. So instead, we'd like to share this great recent story from the WBUR Newsroom.
Boston wants the majority of new cars purchased to be electric by 2050. And of course, all of those cars need to be charged somewhere. The city has a plan to give every household access to an electric vehicle charger or car share facility within a 10 minute walk by 2040. However equity issues make it more of a challenge for some neighborhoods than others. WBUR Climate and Environmen
What to do over February break
February break is here for Boston-area students and their families. Associate Producer for WBUR newsletters Hanna Ali gives The Common a run down of fun and affordable activities for families to check out around the city next week.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
PFAS and your health
PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals used to make products ranging from firefighting foam to waterproof mascara. And as a result, they're basically in everything else too – including the bodies of about 97% of Americans. In the second of a two-part series on PFAS, The Common speaks with WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel about how PFAS can impact our health.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Love that PFAS water
PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals used to make products ranging from firefighting foam to waterproof mascara. And as a result, they're basically in everything else too – including the bodies of about 97% of Americans. In the first of a two-part series, The Common talks with WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran about PFAS levels in Massachusetts drinking water, and the high cost of managing it.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Interview with Cupid
Dinner with Cupid is a column from The Boston Globe Magazine that matches up two willing singles on a blind date and then features details on how the evening goes. This Valentine's Day, The Common sits down with Cupid herself, aka contributing editor Melissa Schorr, for a peak behind the scenes of Dinner with Cupid and the latest dating trends here in Boston.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The Eastie substation saga
Last month, Eversource broke ground on a new electrical substation in East Boston, a piece of infrastructure that has raised significant environmental justice concerns in the community since it was proposed more than eight years ago. WBUR's Miriam Wasser joins The Common to walk us through this controversial project.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How the dumpling is Mei Mei-d
In late January, Mei Mei Dumpling Factory and Cafe opened its doors to sold-out crowds for the first time since the pandemic. The story of Mei Mei, which was co-founded by James Beard Leadership Award winning chef Irene Li and her siblings, has been defined by adaptivity and Irene's ambition to rethink the restaurant industry from the ground up. The Common pays a visit to Mei Mei and finds out what this latest evolution is all about.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Massachusetts is falling behind on financial aid
A new report from a Boston-based research and policy institute focused on higher education finds that eight out of ten students attending a four-year public university have $12,000 in unmet financial needs each year. For 9 out of 10 students attending community colleges, that number is nearly $9,000 each year.
Today on The Common, Managing Director of the Hildreth Institute, Bahar Akman Imboden dives into the systemic challenges of accessing affordable higher education in Massachusetts.
Check
The end of SNAP pandemic benefits
Households receiving SNAP benefits saw an additional boost of at least $95 per payment from the program during the pandemic. After almost three years, that increase is set to end this month. That means some recipients will have less money for food now priced higher than it was before the pandemic.
Juan Camilo Saavedra, joins The Common to give us an idea of how this loss of additional benefits could impact local communities. He’s the director of food and nutrition at La Colaborativa, a social s
Jack Lepiarz joins the circus
WBUR midday host Jack Lepiarz is hanging up his headphones after over a decade at the station. Why? He's running away to join the circus, of course. The Common catches Jack, aka Jack Ze Whipper, on his last day to discuss how his Renaissance Faire act became a viral sensation on TikTok and for a look back at his career at WBUR.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Housing crisis hits Afghan evacuees
Two Afghan families, forcibly displaced from their home country, remain occupants of a church basement in Newburyport. It's been more than a year since they arrived, but they’ve been unable to find a permanent home, in part, due to the lack of affordable housing options in the community they’ve become a part of. But, a group of advocates is hoping to develop new structures to help forcibly displaced people afford housing in Newburyport, and beyond. WBUR Senior Producer and Reporter Lynn Jolicoeu
What to do this month: take your boo to high tea
It's that special time again – We've got WBUR CitySpace's Assistant Director, and general curator of fun, Candice Springer on The Common to tell us what events, happenings, and date-ready tea rooms (Yes! Rooms, plural!) can't be missed in Boston this month.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Save your food and your wallet
Believe it or not, many of the "expiration date" and "best by" stickers on your food are fairly arbitrary. So during a time when food prices are sky high, knowing what is and isn't still good to eat can help cut down on food waste and your expenses. Food For Free's Ben Engle joins The Common to give us a few pointers on how to be more thoughtful about reducing household food waste.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Why can't the MBTA hire enough bus drivers?
Since December 2021, the MBTA has been working on an "aggressive" hiring campaign to bolster driver numbers to bring bus services back to pre-pandemic levels. Now, in January 2023, they have fewer drivers than a year ago and bus services continue to be cut left and right. Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven joins The Common to discuss why the campaign failed, and how Boston's Black and Hispanic communities are paying the price.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and cult
What a city-funded development plan could mean for Mattapan
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to change the way the city approaches development, with one goal being to increase opportunities for economic growth within communities of color. She wants to start with Mattapan, a neighborhood that's 43% Black and 31% Hispanic. WBUR's Rupa Shenoy walks us through the city's proposed plan in today's episode of The Common.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Latino representation and a new era for "El Planeta"
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has made building a diverse and inclusive administration a priority during her first weeks in office. However, she has yet to appoint any Latino people to cabinet positions. Executive Chairman of El Planeta, Boston's largest Spanish-language publication, Javier Marin joins The Common to break down this moment.
Also, we speak with Marcos Marin, El Planeta's new CEO and Editor-in-Chief, about his vision for the paper in the coming years.
CORRECTION: A previou
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu takes stock
Wednesday night, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took the stage at MGM Music Hall in Fenway to give her first State of the City address. She used the speech to highlight her plans for housing and development, and to celebrate the successes of her first year in office. WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to walk us through the major points of Mayor Wu's speech, and to offer analysis on what this all could mean for the remainder of her first term.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news an
Home counseling for kids in crisis
Last week, nearly 100 children across Massachusetts were stuck in hospital emergency rooms waiting for mental health services. This is not unusual, as child psychiatric units have long been overstretched, particularly during the pandemic. That's why the state has begun partnering with diversion services that allow children to access mental health counseling in their own homes. WBUR's Martha Bebinger joins The Common to share the story of one family's experience.
If you or someone you know are i
Housing Check: Gov. Maura Healey and affordable housing
We've got more on housing, folks! Today, we're taking a look at what Gov. Maura Healey's has planned to address housing insecurity at the state level. WBUR's Simón Rios joins The Common to discuss what we know about Gov. Healey's housing policy, including plans to hire a cabinet-level housing secretary.
P.S. if you missed it, check out yesterday's show all about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's new plan to propose a rent control policy in Boston, and the uphill battle she could face in doing so.
Housing check: Rent control in Boston
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is planning to propose a rent control policy for the city that would cap yearly rent increases at 10%. However, Mayor Wu faces a steep uphill battle to push the policy through, with critiques of her plan coming from all sides of the issue. Boston Globe reporter Emma Platoff, who helped break the story, joins The Common to explain the plan and the arguments around it.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Stuck in traffic? This one's for you
Boston was recently named the second worst city for traffic congestion in the country and fourth worst in the world, according to INRIX’s 2022 global traffic scorecard. Today on The Common, Boston's Chief of Streets, Jascha Franklin-Hodge joins the show to discuss city efforts to make transportation safer, more efficient and less car-dependent across Boston.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
New restaurants to watch in 2023
Stop sleeping on Boston's food scene! Editor of Eater Boston, Erika Adams, joins "The Common" to discuss the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2023, and why you should get excited to eat out in the city.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Not everyone is embracing The Embrace
Since its unveiling on January 13th, The Embrace monument to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott, has received a wide range of reactions both good and bad. WBUR Arts Reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to discuss why some in the community are disappointed with the memorial.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A police shooting in Cambridge
The fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Arif Sayed Faisal earlier this month in Cambridge has the community demanding answers and calls into question how law enforcement engages with people in mental distress. WBUR Senior Correspondent Deborah Becker has been following the incident, she joins The Common to tell us what she's learned.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Let's all go to the movies: Local film festivals to check out this winter
From Chilean cinema to children's book adaptations to 24-hour sci-fi marathons – Greater Boston's film festival scene truly has something for everyone. Today on The Common, WBUR film writer Erin Trahan gives us the rundown on where to catch the best festival flicks over the next couple months.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: Memorial honoring the Kings opens on Boston Common
Last Friday, a new permanent monument was unveiled on Boston Common. It’s called The Embrace, and it honors the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr and his wife, Coretta Scott King, who met right here in Boston as college students in the 1950s.
WBUR Morning Edition Host Rupa Shenoy had the chance to see the Embrace before its unveiling. She joins The Common to describe the experience.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Starting a business? Looking for housing support? Ask the library
Libraries have a long history of filling in gaps in social services, and the Boston Public Library is no different. Director of library services for Boston Public Libraries, Michael Colford joins The Common to discuss how the library can help you out, beyond the obvious.
Check out the "services" tab on the Boston Public Library website for more info on available programming.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
State regulators routinely allowed delays in MBTA safety investigations
You might be familiar with the Department of Public Utilities as the state office that regulates electricity and gas services. However, they're also responsible for overseeing safety on the MBTA. A new investigative report from WBUR shows that the DPU has routinely allowed the T to file safety investigations late, delaying the review process. Senior Investigative Reporter Beth Healy joins "The Common" to discuss her findings.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The Sound Museum faces silence
The Sound Museum has been a fixture of the Allston-Brighton music scene for three decades, serving as a practice space for Boston musicians. At the end of January, these artists will be forced to find a new place to meet.
WBUR Arts Reporter and Critic, Amelia Mason joins The Common with the latest on the Sound Museum's fight to survive.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A guide to Massachusetts' new laws
A number of new state laws are coming into effect in 2023, from an updated minimum wage to legal drivers licenses for undocumented people. WBUR Senior Statehouse Reporter Steve Brown joins host Darryl C. Murphy on The Common to talk us through these laws and how they will impact life in the Commonwealth.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Yep, COVID is still a thing
WBUR senior health reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey stops by The Common to give us a post-holiday COVID update and to help us understand where things are with the pandemic overall.
Then, we've got Chris Bentley, host of Here & Now Anytime. It's another great news podcast from WBUR and NPR, available for you to add to the rotation now.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
What to do this month: Experiential bars are an all-inclusive good time
Look, we know January can be a drag. Which is all the more reason why you need a good excuse to get out there and have some fun. Today on The Common, WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director Candice Springer tells us about three local game-themed bars that offer an all-around good time for the whole family.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Trash talk: Your guide to Massachusetts' new waste bans
Starting in November, Massachusetts instated some changes to its waste disposal rules. The changes included bans that further limit how much food can be wasted by commercial kitchens and also prohibits mattresses and textiles from going in the trash.
WBUR climate and environment correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to tell us about how these new rules will impact our daily lives.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
New year, new governor
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey will be sworn in as governor on Thursday. Alongside her will be Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, who is taking on the role of lieutenant governor.
New leadership means new priorities for the state, so we got Boston Globe politics reporter, Samantha J. Gross to come through for a look at what we can expect for the future.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Legalized sports betting could begin in January
Massachusetts residents will be able to begin participating in sports betting very soon, with in-person betting starting as early as the Super Bowl.
The Common's Darryl C. Murphy sits down with WBUR Morning Edition associate producer Samantha Coetzee to look back at what the road for legalized sports betting has been like so far, and what consumers can expect from the Massachusetts sports betting experience.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: Skate collective LonelyBones is making space for community in the sport
Team Common is taking some time off to rest and recover over the holidays. In the meantime, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories from WBUR’s newsroom in 2022.
Lots of people took up skateboarding during the pandemic, including many women and girls, and a new local skating club called Lonely Bones is catering to that clientele. They create an environment that is comfortable for people considered to be on the margins of traditional skate culture. WBUR’s Lauren Williams visited the club in C
From the newsroom: Reflecting on 'Songs of the Humpback Whale' five decades since its release
When the album “Songs of the Humpback Whale” first hit record stores five decades ago, it energized the Save the Whales movement and helped push Congress to pass the Marine Mammal Protection Act. To mark the 50th anniversary of that landmark act, WBUR’s Barbara Moran spoke with the album's creator about its influence on the environmental movement.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: South Shore singer Lee Zangari is our local Tiny Desk favorite
Team Common is taking some time off to rest and recover over the holidays. In the meantime, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories from WBUR’s newsroom in 2022.
Every year, one lucky independent musician is launched into the national spotlight as the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. In Massachusetts, nearly 150 local artists entered songs into this year's competition.
Arts reporter Amelia Mason listened to them all. For WBUR's Sound On music series, Mason and four other panelists chose t
From the newsroom: Wheelchairs break often and take a long time to fix, leaving millions stranded
Team Common is taking some time off to rest and recover over the holidays. In the meantime, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories from WBUR’s newsroom in 2022.
About 5.5 million people use wheelchairs in the United States. But those wheelchairs aren’t always reliable. They often break down and the average repair takes up to a month. That’s a serious problem for people who use them, and it’s been linked to medical complications.
In May, WBUR health and science reporter Gabrielle Emanuel to
From the newsroom: How a nonprofit moved 150 people from 'Mass. and Cass' into permanent housing, and is helping them stay there
Team Common is taking some time off to rest and recover over the holidays. In the meantime, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories from WBUR’s newsroom in 2022.
Today, we bring you the second part in a series from reporter and producer Lisa Mullins and Lynn Jolicouer. They look at efforts around the Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard area of Boston, also known as Mass and Cass, to get people living there into permanent housing. Today's installment is all about one non-profit’s w
From the newsroom: After leaving 'Mass. and Cass,' former Sox minor league pitcher has 'team' helping him toward recovery
Team Common is taking some time off to rest and recover for the holidays. In the meantime, we're sharing some of our favorite stories from WBUR's newsroom from over the year.
We're kicking the week off with the first of a two-part series from WBUR's Lisa Mullins and Lynn Jolicouer. It’s the story of one man who finds housing, after years of living in the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston, also known Mass and Cass.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news an
Venezuelan migrants find home again in Massachusetts
Over the summer, 50 Venezuelan migrants were dropped off on Martha's Vineyard in a political stunt made by Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. The new arrivals were met with national media attention, and an outpouring of aid. However, as WBUR's Cristela Guerra reports, migrants from Venezuela have been finding their way to Massachusetts for years, finding the help they need among the Venezuelan community that is already here.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Impress your holiday crowd with Nail the Cocktail's Passionate Brew
Some of you are preparing for your holiday get togethers, and you may want to impress your company with a homemade cocktail. If that’s the case, we got you.
Claudiane Philippe is the creator of Nail the Cocktail. She joins The Common's Darryl C. Murphy to teach us an original cocktail recipe to try out over the holidays.
Find the recipe for Claudiane's Passionate Brew on WBUR.org.
You can find more from Claudiane on Instragram @nailthecocktail.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news an
Boston City Council will study reparations for Black Bostonians
The Boston City Council has unanimously approved a task force to study the issue of reparations for Black Bostonians, in light of the city's historic role in slavery and present-day inequality.
The Common's Darryl C. Murphy spoke with Masslive reporting fellow Alvin Buyinza, who covered the historic vote.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A pre-playoffs Patriots check-in
Khari Thompson, host of the Audacy podcast, 1st and Foxborough, joins the show for a pre-playoffs Patriots check-in.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Cognoscenti's 2022 wrapped
Cognoscenti is WBUR’s ideas and opinion blog where local experts, writers and thinkers of all kinds share their perspectives on a range of topics. This year gave us plenty of things to ponder and reflect on. So, as the year winds down, we reached out to Cognoscenti senior editor Cloe Axelson to talk to us about three essays from the year that resonated within our community.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Holiday mental health check
The holidays can be a time of immense joy and excitement, but it's also common to experience feelings of loneliness, stress or anxiety. And those short, chilly days? They're probably not helping. But, help is available. On today's episode, Michelle Ward-Gilles of NAMI Massachusetts join the show to discuss how we can take care of our mental health during the holiday season, and through winter more broadly.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, help is available. Cal
Chinatown's long battle for Reggie Wong Memorial Park
Reggie Wong Memorial Park is currently Boston Chinatown's only open community space. For years, community members have been trying to obtain a lease for the park from MassDOT in order to make some much-needed updates to the land. However, they've been met with roadblock after roadblock since 2016. WBUR News Fellow Aimee Moon breaks it down for us.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Get in, we're riding the Green Line Extension
Happy Green Line Extension Week, one and all. On today's episode, Darryl and our producer Katelyn Harrop take us on an opening day ride from the brand-new Medford/Tufts station, all the way to the end of the extension... collecting stories and perspectives from riders along the way.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How families in Chelsea spent a guaranteed income
The city of Chelsea tested a nine-month guaranteed income program in 2020 as a part of its pandemic relief effort. The outcomes of that program were tracked by researchers at Harvard and those findings are now out. WBUR business reported Yasmin Amer joins to discuss the results of the study.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
A tale of two mobile home parks
Large investors have been buying up mobile home communities at a rapid pace over the past few years, including here in Massachusetts. WBUR reporter Simon Rios dives into his reporting on two local mobile home communities that were faced with corporate buyouts, and the two very different outcomes they saw.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
What to do this month: "Chicken & Biscuits," a dance party and "Life of Pi"
Winter is here and it can be hard to find the motivation to leave the comfort of our homes. However, the occasional adventure is good for the soul, especially during the cold and dreary days of December. Thankfully, WBUR CitySpace assistant director Candice Springer is back with a smorgasbord of things to do and eat this month.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Who we're watching at the Boston Music Awards
The Boston Music Awards are set for December 14, at Big Night Live. The awards celebrate Boston's local music scene, and shine a light on some of the biggest and newest acts in the area. WBUR's senior arts and culture reporter and critic Amelia Mason joins the show, to give us a taste of a few of the artists she's most excited about ahead of the awards next week.
Songs from the episode:
Milonga Accidental - Alisa Amador
Feels - Rilla Force
She’s a Liar - Little Fuss
Easy on the Eyes - GA-20
M
Boston-area schools hit year-three of the pandemic
The school year got off to a rough start for some districts in the region. There have been issues with school buses, teacher strikes, and in Boston a near takeover of the district. WBUR's education editor Suevon Lee joins the show for a look back at the first half of the 2022-2023 K-12 school year, and a look towards what may be in store for the winter and spring.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Black Market Nubian hosts holiday market and prepares for change
Black Market Nubian has provided a marketplace for local Black-owned businesses and makers for five years, including a beloved holiday market. But this market season, which runs Saturdays through December, will be its last. We sat down with Black Market Nubian cofounder Kai Grant for a look at the legacy of the market, what you can expect this month, and what's next for the organization.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
People with disabilities struggle to find essential care among worker shortage
There is a severe labor shortage among care workers who serve people with disabilities. As a result, families are left trying finding ways to bridge the gap in essential care that their loved ones need. WBUR business reporter Yasmin Amer has been following the story. She joins us to discuss why this is happening.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Winter hiking wonders are just an MBTA ride away
It’s that time of year. The cold, dreary days of winter are approaching and we know many of you are preparing to hunker down. But, there are huge benefits to getting outside, even when it's chilly, and we're here to help with the details. Today on the show, we have outdoor adventure writer Miles Howard with some of the top destinations for winter hiking, just an MBTA ride from (or in!) Boston.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Need emergency housing? Please hold.
Families seeking emergency housing in Massachusetts are finding themselves locked out of the state's family shelter system. The reason? The main hotline that is supposed to help match people with housing isn't working properly, leaving people stuck on hold for hours – even days – on end.
WBUR senior health and science reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins the show to explain why this vital service is failing.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Boston, Canada, and a Christmas tree
The Boston Common Christmas tree will have its official lighting on Thursday, December 1st. But this isn't just any holiday ceremony, it's the continuation of a tradition started between Boston and our neighbors in Nova Scotia during World War I, and the story behind it is pretty fascinating. We get into it with WBUR's Dan Guzman.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How to navigate the RSV surge this winter
A virus known as RSV is surging among young children and infants in Massachusetts, putting more stress on the region's already strained hospitals.
WBUR senior health reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey has been following how doctors are handling the RSV surge. She joins the show to discuss the situation in hospitals across the state, as well as how to help keep your community healthy this winter.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Boston from a Black perspective
Boston has a bad reputation when it comes to racism that is hard to shake. But that outside image ignores the rich history and experiences of the people of color who have shaped the city for centuries. Boston-based journalist, historian and researcher Dart Adams joins the show to give his perspective on why Boston has a hard time moving beyond its racist reputation.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
From the newsroom: Local Indigenous tribes gather to build community
Team Common is in holiday recovery mode today. So instead of our regular show, we’re bringing you this great story from the WBUR newsroom.
At the start of Native American Heritage Month this November, Indigenous people of various nations gathered on the banks of the Mystic River in Charlestown.
The Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, in collaboration with the Nipmuc and others came to build community, strengthen tribal bonds and learn an ancient skill. WBUR’s Cristela Guerra spoke with some of th
From the newsroom: record store legend Skippy White's role in Boston soul music
Happy Thanksgiving! The Common team is off for the rest of the week, so we thought we’d bring you some great stories from the WBUR newsroom to hold you over.
Music from an unsung era in Boston’s history is being celebrated with a new compilation. WBUR’s Andrea Shea spoke to the record store owner who produced a trove of soul and rhythm and blues from local artists.
Check out more on this story at wbur.org.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Thanksgiving cooking with Haley House
Maybe you have your Thanksgiving plans finalized, or maybe you're still looking for that final dish to finish off your spread. If you're in the latter group, this episode is for you. Haley House program director Jay Vilar joins us to share a recipe for cauliflower stuffing that ought to be a healthy yet tasty addition to your Thanksgiving table.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Michelle Wu hits one year as Boston's mayor. How's it going?
This month marks one year in office for Boston mayor Michelle Wu. She’s the first woman, the first Asian-American and the first person of color to be elected to the office, and came in at a time of significant change for the city. Radio Boston's Tiziana Dearing has the chance to interview Wu monthly, so we decided she was the perfect person to join the show for a look back at Mayor Wu's first year in office, and a look ahead to year two.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture
Some fired police officers are still finding work in Mass.
A new WBUR investigation finds that more than a dozen police officers who were fired, or who resigned after a misconduct investigation, have been hired by other departments in Massachusetts. WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann joins "The Common" to discuss his reporting. Find Walt's full investigation at wbur.org.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The Common adventures with Jed
We're big fans of trains here at The Common. And so is Boston-area TikTok creator @jeddeo1, known for his deadpanned MBTA review series Adventures with Jed. In this episode, the team takes a trip down the Green Line E branch for their very own adventure with Jed.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Where your title insurance fees actually go
WBUR Investigations has published a story about how homebuyers in Massachusetts are paying high fees for title insurance, most of which goes to real estate lawyers through an opaque process that doesn't receive any official state oversight.
Senior investigative reporter Beth Healy joins the show to take us through the reporting.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How 'bout them Celtics?
The Celtics are objectively on fire so far this season. The Common checks in with WBUR reporter and resident Celtics expert, Simon Rios, about how the season is shaping up so far.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Boston's reverse migration
Some young Black people are trading in Boston for cities in the South, in what's being called "reverse migration." Boston Globe reporter Tiana Woodard joins the show to discuss.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
How to make the most of your heating bill this winter
The colder months are finally upon us and energy prices are through the roof this year. WBUR senior environment reporter Miriam Wasser joins the show to share some tips and tricks on how to heat your home without burning your wallet for warmth.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
What to do this month: Noirvember, SIX and a taste of New Orleans
The first week of "The Common" is come and gone. To celebrate, we sat down with WBUR CitySpace assistant director Candice Springer, who always has her finger on the pulse of what is up in this city. She fills us in on everything there is to watch, experience and eat in Boston during the month of November.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Breaking down Massachusetts' historic election
Earlier this week Massachusetts voters made history when they elected Maura Healey as Governor of Massachusetts. She’ll be the first women and openly gay person to hold the office. They also sent four other women to statewide offices including Andrea Campbell, who won her bid for Attorney General, making her the first Black woman to be elected to a statewide office In Massachusetts.
Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, director of the Center for Women in politics and public policy at UMass Boston, joins
'The Common' hits the polls for a local voter vibe check
Another election is in the books. "The Common" team spent Election Day morning visiting polling locations in East Boston to hear how voters in the neighborhood were feeling about casting their midterm ballots. Host Darryl C. Murphy compares notes with WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann, who covered the polls in Dorchester and Roxbury.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
The MBTA isn't on the ballot ... or is it?
It's Election Day here in Massachusetts. Kind of a big deal. Today on The Common, we're talking about something that isn't "officially" on the ballot, but whose future will be greatly affected by Election Day results. That's right, today's all about the MBTA.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.
Where the Latino community in Mass. stands on ballot Question 4
Question 4 on the state's ballot asks voters whether or not to repeal a law that will allow undocumented residents to obtain a driver’s license starting in 2023. It has heavy implications for undocumented Bay Staters from all over the world, in particular, the region’s growing Latino community, which makes up the largest share of the state’s undocumented population. Javier Marin, CEO and publisher of El Planeta, joins the show to discuss how Latino voters are approaching this ballot initiative.
Introducing 'The Common,' Boston's daily news podcast
The Common is WBUR’s daily podcast where local news and culture meet. Hosted by Darryl C. Murphy, The Common delivers in-depth conversations about Greater Boston with an ear toward the stories that reflect how our region is changing. Listen every weekday morning starting Nov. 7.
Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.